Bringing death to the witches
by eJemima
Summary: Hope Jones grew up like any other girl in the rich suburbia of London. She was normal with friends, love-interest and school rival. That was until she learned that her single mother weren't really her mother and that her real parents and family was anything but normal. Coming of age just got a new meaning to it. This is the story of Hope Mikaelson... (klaroline and Stefan included)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone! Here's a little something to entertain yourself with, while we wait till the new Fall and for the next season of The Originals to begin :) A little story of how I imagine Hope grew up and her thoughts when she learns the truth about herself and her family and hopefully a sweet reunion. :P

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"Hope Jones! Stop slacking and get your bum down here, you're gonna be late!"

Rebekah looked at her watch again. They really were late and that be on the first day after the holiday. Rebekah guessed this came with raising a teenager, always going in their own tempo and not really considering the people around them. Rebekah looked up, by the sound of an exasperating sigh and heavy steps on the stairs. The 17 year old descending them had dark brown and slightly curly hair. She wore a cut black t-shirt, with some popular rock band, which exposed her small shoulders. A short blood red skirt, black leggings and military boots covered her slim legs and feet. Both her ears where pierced, several times and she looked down at Rebekah with clear blue eyes dominant cheekbones and a dimpled smile. Rebekah smiled back at her.

"Looking hot," she noted and rose an eyebrow "any particular reason, which I should know about?"

Hope shook her head and took the rest of the stairs in two strides, grabbing her leather jacket from the rack by the door.

"Nope," she answered carefree and walked past Rebekah, "just taking advantage of the only school day where I don't have to wear the horrific uniform and even if there was a reason, I wouldn't tell my mother about it..." Hope added, giving Rebekah a secretive grin before heading for the car outside. Rebekah shook her head with a small laugh, as she looked the front door, exciting it.

The drive to school was like any other morning, with Hope chatting away about how long it had been and how excited she was to see her friends again. Before Rebekah was able to gather a coherent thought and yet alone get a word in, they arrived at the school.

"I won't be home until late today," Rebekah said turning towards Hope," there's some leftovers in the fridge will you be able to make it on your own?" Hope rolled her eyes.

"Mom, I'm turning 18 next month, not 8." She said giving Rebekah a quick peck on the chin and wished her a good day, before getting out of the car.

Rebekah watched Hope as she met up with a couple of her friends at the school gates. She looked more and more like Hayley and Nik, both in looks and personality. There was no mistaking the rebellious independence and cunningness. Hope was, by all means, her parents' daughter and soon another part of her in heritage would take its effect. The witch, who had put the cloaking spell on Hope as a baby, had managed to put another spell on her. A boundary spell, which hid away her magic, so Hope would be able to live a normal human life, until she turned 18. By this age, the hybrid genes would kick in and destroy both the cloaking and boundary spell. Hope would be exposed to those hunting her. Rebekah knew what she had to do before that, but watching Hope talking and laughing with friends, like a normal teenage girl should, the life that Rebekah always had wanted, but had been robbed off. Rebekah dreaded the impending conversation, which was unavoidable. How do you tell a young girl that her parents are immortal and deadly creatures, ruling the old quarter of New Orleans, that her aunt and uncle are thousand-year-old vampires, that she has a half, adopted step- brother, who was also a vampire? Not to mention the grandmother, who was dead set on killing her and her entire family? Rebekah exchanged words with her brothers in New Orleans every now and then and even more as they got closer to Hope's birthday. For the past 18 years, war had raged in the underworld of New Orleans, between vampires, werewolves and witches and for over a decade, Esther Mikaelson had been leading the witches in said war. Hope had been safe with Rebekah, living a normal human life in the suburbs of London, but soon the walls would break down and everything, that was normal, would disappear in a matter of seconds. Rebekah drew a sigh and started the engine again, getting ready for another day at the office.

"Wow Hope, looking hot girl!" Vanessa exclaimed as Hope cached up to her and Juliet. Hope grinned at her two best friends.

"Thank you, right back at you! So I guess this new year starts out in the name of flower power?" Hope said, hinting to the colourful and flower painted clothes Vanessa wore. Vanessa grinned twirled a few times to show off the clothes.

"Everytime I see your mother, I'm baffled," Juliet said absentmindly, watching Rebekah driving off in the Alfa Romeo, "Despite having an 18 year old daughter, she only looks around 20 herself and thinking about it, for the 10 years I've known you, she hasn't aged at all!"

"Yeah, but then again, she's a manager at Vogue," Hope said and shrugged, "so it really isn't that most of a surprise, everyone there looks at least five years younger their age, besides, she had me at a young age. I've stopped asking her about it, just like I've stopped asking about my father, it's no use anyway. Every time I ask about him or any family, my mother gets this guarded look, like she's scared of something and then she pushes it away, avoiding the question." Hope explained and caressed the wooden figure in her pocket, a toy that she had with her at all times, like a precious gem. The only thing she had from her father and it made her feel protected and close to him, whoever and wherever he was. The girls fell quiet as the school bell rang and they automatically made their way through the crowded halls, towards their first class.

"Hold on a minute," Vanessa said suddenly stopping mid-stride, "what if, your father is this psycho killer and your mom in on the run from him?!" Hope and Juliet looked at each other for a second, before bursting into laughter.

"A psycho killer, really Nessa?" Hope asked, whipping away her tears of laughter, "You watch way too much telly!"

"No, but think about!" Vanessa insisted as the moved into the classroom and headed to their usual places in the back of the room, "You said your mother looked guarded and scared when you asked her about your father, it totally makes sense!"

Hope shook her head.

"And when I asked about family in general," she added, "My father is not at psycho and he's defiantly not a killer!"

"What's that about killer? Did you finally find your father in the prison?" an all too familiar voice broke into their conversation. Vanessa and Juliet looked up and Hope sighed annoyed, before turning to face the new arrival.

"No, I didn't," she shoot back, "but if I do find him, I'll make sure he pays your corrupt father a visit, who knows, maybe then he'll have an actual reason for going in prison…"

Jackie Williams faked offence and made the rest of the class laugh, except Ryder Scott, Jackie's supposedly boyfriend. Hope noticed right away and couldn't help feeling just a little happy about it.

"How dare you?! My family's business is very honourable and honest!" Jackie said with a hidden smirk, before the Headmaster entered the room and ordered everyone to be quiet and take place.

"Yeah, I'm sure…" Hope mumbled and threw herself in the chair.

One of these days, she would get back at Jackie Williams for good. This school were a rich kid's school, the best co-ed in the city but there were different kinds of rich kids. Those, like herself, who didn't think much of the life style and lived everyday like any other, and then there was the ones like Jackie Williams, those who rubbed their wealthy life and status in every ones faces, at every chance they got. Hope didn't know if, it was the way she was brought up, taught to appreciate the things you got and the people around you or if it was just a part of her personality, but Hope despised people like Jackie Williams. The show offs. Hope was confident that one day she would teach Jackie a lesson about life and what not and it wouldn't be pretty.

"Due to Mrs. Pearce retirement," the Headmasters voice broke through Hope's thoughts with an announcement, "We've got a few new teachers this year, one of them being your homeroom teacher. She's fresh out of the finest school, so be nice!"

A wave of complete silence ran through the class when the new teacher entered the room. A tall blond woman, stood before them with a gentle smile on her lips. Clear blue eyes surveyed the class carefully, seemingly oblivious to the big eyed, drooling boys and the glaring girls. Hope had to agree. The new teacher was rather pretty. Long slightly curly hair, perfect pale skin and complexion. She wore a body fitting black skirt and a white shirt with a pink scarf.

"Hello class," she began, her voice soft and friendly, "my name is Ms. Caroline Forbes and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year."

Hope and her friends quickly agreed that Ms. Forbes was their new favourite teacher. She was only 35 and with that one of the youngest teachers in school, which was refreshing. She was American and did things a little differently, not having been marked by old British traditions; Ms. Forbes was more relaxed and fun to be around. She didn't treat anyone different, just because their family had more money and gave Jackie Williams and proper scold and detention for talking and texting in class, like any other student. All in the time period of two hours.

"That was quite a first day, Ms. Forbes," Hope said walking up to the teacher's desk as the last student left the classroom, "not many teachers dare to correct Williams."

Hope had told Juliet and Vanessa to go ahead a find a spot for them in the canteen. Hope herself, stayed behind for a bit, since she was a little curious about the new teacher. Ms. Forbes looked up from the papers with a smile, which quickly faded when she saw Hope. Something seemed to go through her mind as she starred at Hope for several moments, before Hope broke the awkward silence.

"Anything wrong Ms. Forbes?" she asked, feeling a little puzzled. The new teacher finally shook her head, snapping out of her train of thoughts.

"No, nothing at all. For a moment you just reminded me of someone," she said flustered. Hope noticed a little blush creeping up in the pale skin and couldn't help a smile.

"Someone good I hope?" she asked, genuinely curious. Ms. Forbes laughed and shook her head.

"That's debatable," she said and collected her papers, "but thanks for the compliment, Ms.?"

"Right! Jones, Hope Jones, Ms. Forbes." Hope said and held out her hand. Ms. Forbes rose from the desk and shook it.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Jones."

Later that evening, Hope lay in her bed, tucked under her duvet, rock music blaring in her ears as she carefully caressed the wooden figure. Jackie Williams comment earlier had hurt more than she'd expected, put together with Vanessa's theory about Hope's father being a psycho killer. She was right; her mother did act suspicious every time Hope brought up her father or family. If he were a psychotic killer, he wouldn't have cared enough to give his new born daughter a toy as a memorial. The figure was a small soldier holding a spear and shield, while sitting on a horse; it had been carved in one and looked old, older than her 18 years of age. Hope used to play with the idea that it was something her father had had as a child and maybe even gotten it from his own father and thus been passed down as a precious heirloom. So he couldn't be what they had said about him, some part of him must have loved her, however little it may be, but then why had he left? Why wasn't he with her now? Hope sat up suddenly as a frightening thought occurred to her. Could her father be dead? Was that why he wasn't there with her? Was that the reason for her mother avoiding any talk about him, because it was too hurtful to talk about? What had happened?! Hope had never given the thought of her father being dead any reason, she'd always thought that one day she would meet and be reunited with her lost father. She had dreamt and imagined it so many times, as a kid, that she had lost count completely. It had been the hope she'd lived by sometimes. Silent tears fell from blue eyes as the realization sank. Hope really didn't have a dad, how could she?

She heard the door to her room open and looked up to see her mother entering. Rebekah saw the tear streaked eyes and moved to sit down next to Hope.

"What's wrong sweetie? Have you been crying?" she asked concerned and put a comforting hand on Hope's shoulder.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Hope asked, tears falling freely by now. Rebekah looked at her confused.

"Who's dead?"

"My father," Hope answered in between sobs, "he's dead and that's why you don't wanna talk about him, because it hurts too much, isn't it?" Rebekah blinked a few times before sighing.

"Oh Honey, I'm so sorry," she said, "Sorry that you ever came to that conclusion, but no, your father isn't dead." Hope looked up at her mother, wanting to believe her words, but finding it very hard to do so, when everything else pointed to her being right in her assumption.

"If he isn't dead, then what is it?!" Hope rose her voice and stepped out of the bed, facing her mother, "Why won't you tell me about it?!" Rebekah sighed.

"Because it's not safe and you knowing the truth will change everything…"

"What do you mean 'not safe' and how is it gonna change everything?!" Hope shouted feeling more confused and frustrated than ever before. How could her knowing the truth possible be unsafe and what could be so big that it would change everything? Vanessa's psycho killer theory tiptoed it's way back into Hope's thoughts, it couldn't possibly be…

"Is he a psycho killer, locked up in prison?"

Rebekah starred at Hope a few seconds, and then suddenly burst into laughter.

"In prison, no but a psycho killer – that's debatable, some people probably wouldn't argue about that…"

Hope blinked confused at her mother's cryptic answer. 'Debatable', that was the second time in one day she'd heard that being said about a person, with the first one being from Ms. Forbes. Weird. Hope shook it off and turned her full attention back to her giggling mother.

"Sorry sweetie, but one day you'll understand," she said and was able to calm herself down. Hope groaned annoyed.

"And just when will this 'one day' be?!" she exclaimed frustrated, "Why can't you just tell me now?!" Rebekah gave Hope a thoughtful look, before finally nodding and rose from the bed.

"Right, okay, I need to find something but I'll be right back,"

Hope starred at the closed door, standing alone in the middle of her bedroom. She was breathing heavily and the adrenalin was still pumping in her entire body, making her hands shake and legs unsteady. She couldn't remember ever being this angry and frustrated before and that said a lot, after having spent seven years in school with Jackie Williams. She was finally getting answers, Hope Jones would finally know about her father. She would know what had happened all those years ago. Now, a new question presented itself. Did she really want to know? Her mother had said that it wasn't safe, that Hope knowing the truth would change everything. Why did she say that, what kind of secrets could possibly have been hidden away? Before Hope managed to give the doubt any more thoughts, her mother walked back into her room, holding a letter in her hand. She sat down on the bed and gave Hope sign to join her. Hope followed her lead.

"Okay, first things first, "Rebekah said and drew a sigh, "first you need to know that I'm not your real, biological mother, in fact, I'm your aunt."

"What!?" Hope stood up by this news. How could this be?! If the woman, who Hope always had believed to be her mother, wasn't then who was and why?! This raised a million more questions which Hope needed answers to right away, but Rebekah simply asked her to sit back down.

"Okay, so there's probably gonna be a lot of those, huh?" Rebekah asked, referring to Hope's surprised outburst, "But please listen to until the end, then it'll all make sense to you, I promise…"

Hope nodded and sat back down reluctantly.

"So, we've cleared that I'm not your mother, but your aunt. Your father is my older brother and your real mother… well, they just hooked up once, for reasons beyond me, you weren't planned at all, in fact they didn't think you possible at all, none of us did, you were a real miracle baby Hope…" Rebekah said and gave Hope a true smile, "Oh yeah, maybe I should mention that our name is not 'Jones' but 'Mikaelson'."

"Mikaelson?"

Rebekah nodded.

"We're a very old family, on that note I should mention you have an uncle too, well, one that is alive anyway. And speaking of our family, here comes the second shook," Rebekah said, preparing herself by taking a deep breath, "We're not your ordinary family, besides the everlasting dysfunction, when I say we're an old family, I mean that we're literally an old family. The Mikaelson's have been around for over a thousand years, the same Mikaelson's…"

"What do you mean the same?" Hope asked confused, not really understanding what her mother, no, her aunt was trying to say.

"I mean the same generation, meaning your father, uncles and I has been around for the last millennium…"

Hope blinked a few times, before she burst out in a laughter.

"Right, sure that makes totally sense. Have you seen my phone, I need to call the loony bin, because you've clearly lost it. How can you think you're thousand years old?"

"Come on Hope, you've seen the movies, you've read the books, you know about vampires," Rebekah tried to explain. Hope looked at her in disbelieve.

"Of cause I know about vampires, I also know they're fictional as in – not real!" Hope said hysteric and rose once more from the bed, only to pace back and forth in her room.

"Most fiction has roots in reality," Rebekah reasoned. Hope stopped up and starred at her.

"Then you're gonna tell me that werewolves and let's say – witches, are real too?"

"Yes, very real which at some point is rather regrettable and kind of the reason that we ended in this mess…" Rebekah responded, sounding thoughtful.

"What is?"

"Witches…" Rebekah began, "They're the reason why you weren't able to be raised by your parents, well, partly the reason anyway…You see, calling your father a psycho killer isn't half lie, he's done a lot of horrible things over the years, we all have. Killed in cold blood and betrayed the ones closest to us, but things changed. Your father started to change, slowly but for the better. When he learned about you, he did everything he could to keep you safe and out of harm's way. When you were born, a group of witches tried to kill you, but your parents, uncle and, I guess your adopted half-brother, saved you. Your father gave you to me, to keep safe. Our family and especially my brother, has many enemies and you weren't safe with them. Your father is a good man Hope, never for a minute doubt that, even if his way to do certain thing can seem uncontroversial." Rebekah finished her story and looked up at Hope in anticipation.

Hope stood as rooted to the floor, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Witches had tried to kill her? Witches?! Wait, she had an adopted half-brother? It all sounded like some supernatural action movie, something people from American would come up with. It all sounded so surreal, but she guessed some things made sense. Like her mother, no still just aunt, looking so young and never aging, because she was a vampire? But if her family was all vampires, how…?

"I didn't know vampires could get children…?" Hope spoke out her question without realising it.

"We can't," Rebekah answered, "but your mother isn't a vampire, and technically neither is your father, which is probably how it was possible, but as I said, you were quite the miracle baby, Hope."

Hope gave Rebekah a small smile.

"What do you mean by my mother not being a vampire and my father not being it either 'technically'?"

"Your mother was a werewolf and your father, well, he's what we call a hybrid – both vampire and werewolf…" Rebekah explained, like it was the most normal thing.

"Oh wow, what does that make me?" Hope asked, although she wasn't really sure if she wanted to know.

"You, you're special Hope. My mother was a powerful witch and you've been born with all the genes, so you're both vampire, werewolf and witch – one of a kind, which is one of the reasons the witches wanted you dead back then, they're scared of you and of what you're capable of."

"But… I can't do anything! No magic, no vampire or werewolf perks – nothing!"

Rebekah rose from the bed and gave Hope a long embrace.

"It will all make sense one day, but for know, go to bed and just know that you have parents and a family that love you, more than anything, you're not alone. And I think it's time you had this." Rebekah said and handed the pink letter to Hope, "a letter you mother wrote to you. You should also know that the wooden soldier, was your fathers, he gave it to you as you parted, along with your name – Hope. Although they're not with you, your parents love you and they think about you every day, I know…" That said Rebekah kissed Hopes cheek and left her alone. With shaking hands, Hope slowly opened the pink letter and as she read, tears started falling anew.

_"__Dear Zoey, or Kaitlyn or Angela… To my little girl. Your dad just asked if this was a love letter, I guess it kind of is. I never got to know my mother, I have no idea what she must have felt like when she carried me, so I thought I could write to you, so you could know how happy I am, at this very moment. Of how your father and I can't wait to meet you. And I wanna make you a promise. Three things that you'll have, that I never did. A safe home, someone to tell you they love you, every single day and someone to fight for you, no matter what. In other words – family. So baby girl, the rest we will have to figure out together. I love you, your mom…_

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A/N: Yeah, it was a little long, but please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: And here's chapter two! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own TO or the characters - unfortunately, but I can say that I own the plotline ;)

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Hope starred absentminded out the window, barely registering Ms. Forbes talking by the board as Hope caressed the wooden solider under the table. It had already been a few days since Rebekah had told Hope everything and the truth of it all was slowly sinking in. For the most part, she remembered not to call Rebekah mother, but had begun calling her by name or aunt. Hope had read the letter from her mother, repeatedly, imagining how she was like and how she looked, from the few written words. Hayley Marshal was her name. Her mother's name. Niklaus Mikaelson aka Nik or Klaus was her father's name. She had one living uncle; Elijah and three dead; Henrik, Finn and Kol. Then there was an adopted half step-brother Marcellus or Marcel. Dead grandparents Esther and Mikael. Rebekah had told tons of stories about every single one of them. Stories from their childhood and stories from their immortal years. In one day, Hope had gone from being in a family of two, to have parents, uncles, aunt and a brother – sort of, it was still mind-blowing, just thinking about it. Even though all these stories and people seemed unreal, Hope still loved listening to the stories and every night, since that first, Hope had convinced Rebekah to tell more stories. Again and again. The story of her family. The most fantastic story was of how they had arrived at the coast of Louisiana in the 1700's and helped building and managing the city of New Orleans. Hope had learned about American history and New Orleans in school, but to think that her own father and family had played an important part in it and actually lived it was hard to comprehend. Rebekah had told Hope, that her family still lived in New Orleans; in a great family estate located in the French quarter and that her father and uncle basically ruled the city. Besides that, apparently her mother, Hayley, was some sort of werewolf royalty in a big pack. Hope couldn't help but think this a little cool. So Jackie Williams' father was the CEO of a corrupt million-pound company, but Hope's father owned a major city in the States and Hope couldn't help feeling just a little proud. Thinking about it, she felt like a princess. It was every little girls dream to find out that her long lost father was a king of a far away and exotic kingdom. Hope guessed this was sort of her reality now.

She smirked to herself; it was your typical 'my father can beat your father' game and Hope was pretty sure she won. From what her aunt had told, Hope's father was the most powerful living creature and hardly someone, which a middle-aged CEO human could stand up against, but alas, Hope had promised Rebekah not to tell anyone of what she'd learned, not even her best friends, so there was no chance of bragging. This, however, turned out to be one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. At every snarky remark from Jackie, Hope wanted to just blurt it all out and see that priceless look on the posh Ms. William's face, when she realized she had lost. Oh, the glee by the mere thought of it made Hope's smirk grow even more, but she couldn't. Not really. Hope had been instructed not to tell anyone about her real heritage. Despite having a great ocean and millions of kilometres between and supposedly magic hiding her, Hope's aunt didn't take any chances in letting anyone in on who Hope was. Not even, speak of it outside the walls of their apartment. Hope thought this stupid and was sure her aunt suffered from paranoia. There was no way, some witch, or whatever, would be able to find one person, across ocean and whatnot, just because of some spoken words, even so, Hope kept her promise and didn't tell anyone about it, no matter how hard it was.

"Ms. Jones? Are you all right?" Ms. Forbes voice was close and managed to drag Hope out of her train of thoughts.

"Yeah, sure. Sorry, I was just…" Hope stopped mid-sentence when she looked up and realized the classroom was empty, except for herself and Ms. Forbes. Could she really have been so far gone in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized class ending and everyone leaving. Hope noticed Ms. Forbes pulling out a chair and sitting down in front of her with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Look," she said with a gentle voice, "Your friends told me that you haven't really been yourself the last couple of days, like you've been away in another world of thoughts. They're worried that you won't talk to them. I know that you live alone with your mother, is something wrong at home? I lived alone with my mother too, who worked all the time, and I know how hard it can be…"

Hope looked at Ms. Forbes. For some reason, Hope really liked this woman and felt she could trust her. There was a certain familiarity or connection, which seemed weird, because Hope was a hundred percent sure that she had never met the woman before she stepped into the classroom a week ago. Then what could it be?

"I'm sorry," Hope said, looking down at her joined hands, "there is just a lot on my mind these days. It is connected to my family, but not in the way, you may think. I…" Hope took a deep breath. She really, really wanted to talk to someone about all this. What if she said some small parts of it, without mentioning any names, she could do that, couldn't she?

"I learned about my father." Hope finally blurted out and looked up at Ms. Forbes excitedly, "my father and my family and it's amazing! In fact, they're from America too!" A warm smile spread across Ms. Forbes lips.

"That is good news! No wonder you've been out of it lately, it must be exciting for you!"

"Yeah and a little scary, to be honest," Hope admitted. She'd been so excited about it all, that she hadn't realized just how incredible scary it was too. Witches had tried to kill her, for crying out loud and would probably try it again, when they found out she were she was and this thought scared her shitless. What was she against real life witches, with real life magic? Sure, Rebekah had told her that Hope had magic herself and supposedly all the perks and strengths of both vampire and werewolf, but Hope hadn't ever felt anything from those. She felt helpless.

"Have you ever experienced finding out a truth about yourself," Hope asked, "realized something that changed everything. Everything you thought you knew changing in a matter of moments and turned your entire world upside down. You realized something about yourself, that scared you to no end, but you couldn't really tell the people around you, not even your closest friends…"

Ms. Forbes watched Hope for a moment, giving a calculating look.

"In more ways than one, I think," she answered truthfully and moved a lock of blond hair behind her ears.

"What did you do?" Hope asked, hungry for every little piece of advice she could get. Ms. Forbes bit her lip and looked out the window. A distant glance in her blue eyes.

"I ignored it," she answered simply, "I ignored that part of myself, scared of what my friends and the people around me would think. I came up with several excuses as to why it would be stupid and pointless," Ms. Forbes sighed and looked back at Hope with sadness and regret in her eyes, "Whatever it is you're struggling with, don't do what I did, don't ignore it. Embrace it, with everything you are. I ignored it, I hurt someone I cared about and I've regretted it ever since…"

Hope nodded absentminded. That was actually a pretty good advice. She knew that accepting this entire witch-vampire-werewolf thing was going to be hard and take time, but Hope also knew herself well enough to admit that if she didn't accept it and live it, she would always have an aching in her heart. She wouldn't ever feel complete.

Hope looked at Ms. Forbes and saw it again. That distant, sad look she got whenever she thought the class were busy. In the little week, she had had classes, Hope had noticed it, in the young teacher multiple times and she couldn't help but being a little curious. The first impression of Ms. Forbes had been as a young, beautiful and confidant woman, who was good at her job, but those looks told a different story. They told of heartache, regret and a certain amount of loneliness.

"It's about a guy, isn't it?" Hope asked and watched Ms. Forbes carefully, "The things you ignored and the person you hurt?"

Ms. Forbes looked at Hope, surprise written in her face, then a smile slowly crept along her lips.

"You're quite the perceptive kid, aren't you?" she asked with a grin. Hope just shrugged, dismissing it as nothing, but her curiosity had been ignited even further.

"Who was he? What happened?" she wanted to know and moved closer to Ms. Forbes in anticipation. Ms. Forbes blinked, a little taken aback by Hope's straightforwardness.

"I am your teacher, Ms. Jones," Ms. Forbes said and shook her head, "I'm not about to talk private matters like that with one of my students, no matter how smart she may be." She finished with a blink in her eyes.

"Arw, no fair!" Hope pouted and leaned back in her chair. Ms. Forbes smiled and was about to say something, when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Both Ms. Forbes and Hope turned their attention to the new arrival. Hope cached herself starring with a feeling of time standing still. Brown, tussled hair, deep dark-brown eyes, marked cheekbones and crooked smile. He wore black and fitted t-shirt and pants, something that, in Hope's opinion shouldn't be allowed; not that she minded it though.

"Sorry, are you still in the middle of something?" he asked, looking unsure. Ms. Forbes gave him a familiar smile and shook her head.

"No, we're almost finished here, Stefan. You go ahead; I'll be ready in a minute."

The guy, referred to as Stefan, nodded and left, although not before giving Hope a little smile. At least that's what she told herself.

"Who was that!?" Hope wanted to know as soon as he had left them again. Ms. Forbes looked at Hope puzzled, before she caught the slight blush and heat, which had risen in Hope's face.

"Oh, that's my friend, from back home. His name's Stefan Salvatore and he is the new PE teacher and coach here," Ms. Forbes explained. With this answer, Hope suddenly couldn't with for the new PE term to start.

"Is he you're… you know?" Hope asked unsure, not wanting to cross any boundaries of privacy or give herself any false hope. Sure, she was a student and he was a teacher, but Hope was in her senior year and the guy was gorgeous, so why not let yourself dream a little? Ms. Forbes seemed to understand what Hope was hinting and smiled.

"No, he is just a good old friend." She confirmed.

"How can you be 'just friends', with something like that?" Hope asked disbelieving. This made Ms. Forbes laugh as she rose from the chair and started gathering her things, making ready to leave for the day. Hope followed her example and as they were saying goodbye, Hope noticed the ring on Ms. Forbes' middle finger. A golden band with a blue stone. The same kind of ring that her aunt Rebekah had been wearing at all times, ever since she could remember. There was no way there could be a connection, was there? Sure, they were both from the States, as it turned out, but that was hardly it. Hope seriously doubted that every woman from the States wore a ring like that, but then what could it be. Was it really just a coincidence? Hope would have to ask Rebekah about the ring. Where it was from and what kind of significance it held.

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A/N: Three guesses for WHO Ms. Forbes is reffering to?

What did ya think? Remember to let me know! Thank you, you're awesome!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews, they're truly amazing and you have no idea how much I appreciate them! So without further ado, here's the next chapter, dedicated for you, my lovely readers :)

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"I'm home!" Hope called out; as she opened the front door and entered the Notting Hill house, she and Rebekah had lived in for the past years. Hope threw her jacket at the rack, her shoes under it and graphed her bags, before heading straight for her room on the first floor. Hope had been hanging out with Vanessa and Juliet after school, for a little shopping and dinner out and he couldn't wait to get the uncomfortable school uniform off.

"Hope!" Rebekah said, popping out her head from the study. Hope stopped with a sigh, half way up the stairs.

"Can it wait? I really wanna get out of this clothes," she said and made a face, to show her discomfort. Rebekah smiled at her.

"No, you know what? Keep your uniform on, I think she'll love to see you with it," she said mysteriously. Hope raised an eyebrow, slightly confused.

"Who would?"

Rebekah grinned and signed Hope to follow her into the study. Hope groaned annoyed, but followed her aunt none the less. The study was Rebekah's workroom and characterized by her work in the fashion world. Posters of magazine covers, with models in the newest clothes, decorated the walls. Several, partly dressed mannequins, clothes samples and drawings were scattered around in the room. The white glass desk, with the apple computer, was centred in the room. Rebekah moved to the computer and looked up at Hope, who had stopped by the door, looking slightly confused and annoyed. Rebekah gave her a secretive smile.

"There's someone who want to meet you," she said and pointed at the screen of the computer. Hope sighed again, and dragged her feet into the room and met Rebekah by the computer. She looked at the screen and saw a female with brown, curly hair, dark brown eyes and delicate features, moving just a bit in the open video chat. She was beautiful, as she smiled, a perfect white smile, when she saw Hope.

"Hope…" she said her voice soft and tears slowly falling from her brown orbs. Hope looked from the woman to Rebekah and back again. There was something about the woman, which made Hope's heart break just a little, as if she knew the woman; had a unique connection to her. Hope's eyes widened in shock as a thought occurred to her and she looked at Rebekah for confirmation. Her aunt just smiled and nodded. Hope gulped and turned her attention back to the woman on the screen.

"Mom…?" she asked carefully, afraid that the moment would disappear and she would wake up from a cruel dream. The woman's smile widened and several tears feel from her eyes. She nodded.

"Yes Hope, I'm Hayley, your mother," she confirmed and dried her eyes with the back of her hands, "It is so good to finally see you, my beautiful daughter." Hope dropped to the desk chair and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding back.

"Mom…" she said again and felt tears of her own starting to fall. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Hope had never missed a mother, growing up, believing Rebekah to be her mother; it had always been her father. However, ever since Rebekah had told the truth and she had given Hope the letter, there had been a hole and longing in her heart, to find out and learn about her real mother and here she was. In a video chat, from across the world, Hayley Marshal – Hope's biological mother.

"Rebekah tells us that you know everything," Hayley said. Hope could only nod, finding it very hard to say anything, despite having a million questions.

"I imagine you to be quite overwhelmed," she continued, "It must be a lot to shallow at once. I remember, just getting used the world of werewolves, when I first turned was though, I can't possibly think how you most feel, about all this…"

Hearing this, somehow made Hope come out of her paralyzed state and she gave her mother a small smile.

"You have no idea," she said drying her eyes and got more comfortable in the chair. She noticed Rebekah being gone and appreciated her leaving Hope and Hayley some privacy. This was after all pretty big for the both of them.

"In a matter of moments, I went from having only a mother, to suddenly have both parents, uncle, aunt and apparently a brother? Moreover, they turned out to be centuries old vampires too… I feel like I'm a part of some crazy, supernatural teen flick fairy-tale…" Hope admitted and made a face. Hayley laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I don't doubt it!" she said between laughs, "And I'm so sorry sweetie, I imagine it would have been a lot easier for you, if you grew up with us, knowing everything from the beginning…"

Hope noticed the sadness and regret in her mother voice.

"We won't know," Hope said and shrugged, "but honestly, I have and am enjoying my life, so don't sweat it. I understand why you did, what you did and I'm really thankful to you all, so please, please don't feel bad. Sure, things are a little overwhelming and mad right now, but I'll get over it. I don't know when, but one day vampires, werewolves, witches and what not, will totally make sense to me and I'll shrug this off with a laugh, don't worry."

Hayley nodded and gave Hope a grateful smile.

"So," Hope said and leaned in close to the screen, trying to be a little closer to the woman on it, "how is it over there? How's my father and who's those uncle and brother of mine? Tell me everything!"

Hayley scanned her surroundings and leaned closer to the screen too.

"Oh, your father is going to be so jealous that I spoke with you first," she said with a gleeful grin, "but that's what happens when they leave me home alone, while going out on some business…" Hope laughed at her mother's antics and listened carefully as she started telling about the Mikaelson's life in New Orleans.

Hope's father and uncle was indeed running and keeping peace the city or trying to anyway. It was not an easy task with the constant offence from the covenant of witches, pack of werewolves and even some unsatisfied humans. It required a lot of meetings, threats and scheming, which kept the two original brothers busy most of the time.

The day Hope was born, the vampires had suffered a surprise attack from the wolves and lost a lot of people and it had taken years to turn and gather more vampires, in order to pose a threat but for past couple of years, things had been looking up as several older and younger vampires had arrived in the city. Hayley told Hope about her foster brother, Marcel and her uncle Elijah. Hope's father had taken Marcel under his wing and brought him up in the late 1700's, and about her uncle Elijah, Hayley hesitated a little, which sparked Hope's curiosity. After some serious nagging, only a teenage daughter could do muster towards her mother, Hope learned that her mother and uncle had been in a relationship, since Hope was born. Despite Hayley's nervousness about telling it, Hope just shrugged it off, knowing from Rebekah, that she had just been a one-time thing and her parents hadn't really dated. Hope felt grateful that her mother was happy and even more so, that it was with someone in the family. So, as it turned out, Hope's uncle, was sort of her stepfather too.

Hope quickly lost track of time as she chatted away and got reacquainted with her mother. At some point Hayley got quiet with a sad look on her face. When Hope asked her about it, Hayley got tears in her eyes and apologized to Hope. Apparently, right after Hope was born, the witches had killed her mother, but since Hayley had shared some of Hope's hybrid blood, she woke up again and in order to live, she had to drink some of Hope's blood. Hayley had been feeling bad about it ever since then, to drink the blood of her own baby daughter – it had been the hardest thing she ever had to do. Despite being a little taken aback by the news, Hope told her mother not to worry about it, because when it came down to it, Hope was just happy that her mother was alive and she was able to talk to her like this and that she had eternity to catch up on the lost years. Having both her parents being immortal and powerful creatures did have it's perks, since she had been robbed off being raised by them.

Suddenly a distant call seemed to catch Hayley's attention from her destination as she looked away from the screen.

"I'm in the office!" she called out. Hope noticed a smile spread across her mother's lips and reaching her eyes. Moments later Hope heard a deep, incoherent voice and the sound of footsteps getting closer.

"Come and see," Hayley said to the new arrival and moved a little, making room for another in front of the computer. A man with short dark hair, deep brown eyes, strong cheekbones and wearing a black suit sat down next to Hayley and put an affectionate arm around her. He starred long at Hope, before breaking into a smile.

"Hope, I presume," he said, his voice deep and smooth, "I am your oldest uncle, Elijah. It's a pleasure to finally meet you again." Hope greeted him back with a wide grin. So this handsome man was her uncle aka stepfather. At first sight, the man seemed like the proper and formal type, which would be hard to approach, but as soon as the smile broke and he presented himself, Hope found herself relax with a feeling that she would quickly be able to get along with this man. Must be the mysterious connection to blood relation, that Hope had immediately had felt when she faced Hayley at first too.

"I am sorry that my brothers aren't here to greet you too, we have a bit of situation right now, that requires our full attention," Elijah told her with an apologetic look.

"Wait, 'brothers'? As in plural?" Hope asked confused, "and what situation? Are you gonna be okay?" As far as Hope knew, she only had one uncle and one father. There were more siblings in the original family, but those had all died, at least that's what Rebekah had told her. And just what was going on in New Orleans? Was her family in danger? Would she lose them before even meeting them? Elijah looked from Hope to Hayley.

"Didn't Rebekah tell her?" he asked her. Hayley just shrugged, making Elijah turning his attention back to his niece, "yes, we're okay, don't worry about it, " he said reassuringly, "Rebekah probably forgot to tell, since it is rather new, but some years ago, two of your uncles, who we thought to be dead, arrived in New Orleans. Kol and Henrik found us and has been living with us ever since."

Hope leaned back in the chair, feeling once again a little overwhelmed, by this new revelation. Her family had just grown with two people. A mother, father, brother, aunt, three uncles, and they were all living a danger-filled life across the ocean, despite knowing this fact, Hope longed to be with them, more than anything. It was both exhilarating and terrorizing.

Hope chatted away with both her mother and Elijah, telling them all about her life and the people in it. Her friends, school, life in the city, living with Rebekah, hopes and dreams of one day being able to meet and live with all of her family. They listened to attentive until news of a development of the situation arose, in a matter, which required both Hayley and Elijah's full attention. Hayley blew Hope a kiss and told her she loved her before logging off. Hope released a satisfied sigh and smiled to herself, looking at the time. She had just spend three hours talking with her mother and eventually, uncle across the ocean, she had never felt this excited.

Hope found Rebekah in the living room watching the news and threw herself in the sofa next to her. They sat in silence for a while before Rebekah spoke.

"So, how was it?" she asked and gave Hope a curious glance. Hope grinned and changed position in the sofa so she was facing her aunt.

"It was brilliant!" she exclaimed excitedly, "Hayley is really amazing and I even got to meet and talk a little with Uncle Elijah. I can't wait to meet the rest of them! When can we go?!"

Rebekah blinked at Hope before breaking into a small laughter.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Rebekah said, "but sweetie, you can't go there, not yet. It's too dangerous. I know both your parents and Elijah would agree with me on this, no matter how much they long to meet you, they would rather you were safe."

Hope's glance fell as she looked down, suddenly feeling sad and just a little angry. Angry with the stupid witches, who had tried to kill her and kept her away from her family. It was not fair. After talking with Hayley and Elijah and knowing Rebekah by heart, Hope didn't care whether or not they were immortal beings with a troubled past and blood on their hands, she just wanted to be with them – as a family. Hope was tired of all the complications, all the uncertainty of not knowing, if she would ever be reunited, with them.

She felt tears falling and dried them away quickly as they came. Rebekah pulled Hope into a tight embrace and caressed her head gently.

"I know sweetie, I know…," she said in a hushed and soothing voice.

"But it's not fair and how is it possible to miss someone you've never met, this much?" Hope asked in between sobs.

"But you did meet them," Rebekah said as she continued caressing Hope, "your father was there when you were born and they all had a part in saving you from the witches." Hope looked up at Rebekah with a scowl.

"Yeah, but normally people don't remember things happening in the first few days of their lives…" she said as, a matter of fact. Rebekah shook her head and smiled.

Silence fell between them for a while, as both of them got lost in thoughts, barely noticing the television still on. Hope noticed Rebekah's ring and remembered that Ms. Forbes had a matching one.

"That ring of yours, where is it from? I've always wondered about it," she asked, untangling herself from Rebekah's embrace. Hope's aunt glanced at the ring and looked at her niece.

"You now that in fiction, vampire burn in the sun, right?"

Hope nodded, and now that she mentioned it, it should have seemed weird to Hope after learning that Rebekah was a vampire; she could walk around in daylight.

"Well, this ring protects me from the sun," Rebekah explained, "with it I'm able to walk around in daylight. A witch made it for my siblings and me, shortly after we first turned."

Hope nodded, so the witches could be used for something good, it seemed.

"Will I need one of those too and is it possible that other vampires have those?" Hope asked, not taking her eyes of the ring with the blue stone.

"No, you won't need it, since you're a hybrid and partly a werewolf," Rebekah said, like it was obvious, "yes, the spell is rather simple if you're a witch that have all the necessities. Why do you ask, have you met someone else with a ring like this?"

Hope bit her lip, contemplating whether or not she should tell her Rebekah about Ms. Forbes and her matching ring. She decided against it, not wanting to alarm her aunt further and shook her head.

"No, just curious," she said with an innocent smile, "and I imagine good to know, in case of any run in's with vampires."

Rebekah gave Hope a long calculating look before accepting her excuse with a sigh.

"Right, but promise me you tell me if you meet someone, with a ring like this, okay?"

Hope nodded and gave her aunt a quick peck on the cheek before wishing a goodnight and heading for her bedroom. That night Hope went to bed, her head full of thoughts of her family, witches and possible vampires and taking notion to be extra careful around certain, suspicious people.

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**A/N:** So, chapter three... Yes, both Kol and Henrik is indeed back, the more Mikaelsons, the merrier ;) How? You may wonder... Well, fear not, there will be explanations... let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Once again! Thank you for all the reviews, you guys are simply amazing and I love you for your reviews!

Disclaimer: Okay, so I admit I don't own TO, the characters or the setting of New Orleans, as sad as it is, but I'm starting to believe that the personality of Hope Mikaelson, is a product of my imagination and so is the plot J

Here's another chapter so, without further ado – Enjoy!

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"Well, well, well if it isn't fatherless Jones," Jackie Williams taunted gleefully walking up behind Hope and her friends in the busy hallway. Hope's smile faded into a frown as the buzzing voice of her least favourite person continued, "How was your weekend? Been hiding under your duvet and crying over how pathetically incompetent and sad you are?"

Rolling her eyes, Hope turned towards Williams putting on her best poker face.

"No, that was last weekend," Hope answered with renewed confidence and smirked, "if you must know, this Hope is different. This Hope spend her weekend making a list," Hope continued as she stepped dangerously closer to the offending girl, "a list of how I can ruin every, single moment of your sorry excuse of a cheap life."

It wasn't entirely a lie. Ever since the Friday before, where Hope had first talked with her mother and uncle, she had experienced small outbursts of magic. At first, in cases where she had been emotional, glass and other things had exploded around her, but soon things just started to obey Hope. Like when she was watching the TV and needed the remote, she had only thought about it before it flew into her hand. Other times she had needed to turn off, and on the lights and it had done so by a mere thought from her. Hope was feeling stronger and more energized than ever before and at the same time, she seemed to have this hunger that just wouldn't be settled, no matter how much she ate.

Jackie Williams starred flappergastered at Hope, opening and closing her mouth, like she wanted to say something, but it seemed she had difficulty finding a fitting retort.

"I'm sick and tired of your little displays of insecurities and need to drag people, who's better than you, down," Hope remarked and had now moved merely inches from Williams. The adrenalin ran through Hope like an express train and this sound of a heart going 'ba-dumb, ba-dumb' annoyed her to no end. Her gaze fell to Williams' neck, where she saw an exposed vein pulsating with blood. Hope gulped and clenched her fists, trying to control the sudden hunger that had increased drastically.

"You're playing with fire, little human," Hope growled, "and by my family, I swear, one day you will regret every single selfish deed, you've ever done. I'll personally make sure of it…"

"Oh yeah?" Jackie William had managed to find her voice, but the slight quiver of it, didn't go unnoticed by Hope, "Is that really supposed to be a threat? Swearing by your family, don't make me laugh," Williams straightened her back, having regained her composure and stood eye to eye with Hope, "you don't have a family, they all left you! So bring it!"

Hope felt sick. The adrenalin coursing her body made her shake and sweaty all over. Her heart beat like a mad man on drums. Her teeth ached in pain along with every muscle in her body. She felt nausea and dizzy as black spots disturbed her sight. _Get away! You need to get away! _A voice screamed in her head. Hope sent Williams one last glare and turned. She ran through the crowd that had gathered around them, barely recognizing the taunting shouts from Williams or the concerned calls from her friends. Hope ran down the hall and out the school doors without noticing the concerned and surprised look of her homeroom teacher.

Finding herself off school grounds and prying eyes, Hope stopped for a moment, catching her breath. She tried to calm herself down, but no matter what she tried, it was no use. The shaking, sweating, aching, dizziness, nausea and beating heart didn't stop, it only increased as the seconds went by adding a burning sensation in her entire body. Everything seemed heightened, smells, sounds and even the sunlight. Hope could hear people talking, like they were shouting in her ear and yet there was no one in sight. She could hear heavy breathing and panting, hearts going 'ba-dump, ba-dump' without end. She could smell grease from fast food cooking, smoke from lit cigarettes and gas from running cars. The midday sun, burned on her exposed skin painfully. Every one of her senses, were heightened.

When Hope started running again, everything around went into a blur and the next second she was in Notting Hill, in front of her house. Hope gasped in sudden pain and bowed forward as her stomach turned, pushing stomach acid and slime back up her throat. A random elderly lady stopped up and asked if she was okay. Hope looked up at her and locked eyes with her.

"Yes, I am fine," she said in between breaths, "Now, go away and forget this…" Hope's voice grew firm as she ordered the elder. The lady blinked a few times and stood up. She looked around, slightly confused, before leaving Hope without giving her another glance.

Hope groaned and fumbled with her keys, before stumbling through the front door. It was still early, just a little past midday so Rebekah wouldn't be home for another few hours. Hope screamed and fell to the floor, as a painful cramp ran through her, followed closely by another and yet another. The pain filled her entire body and made it hard to breathe. Hope breathed heavily and ripped off some of her uniform, trying to breathe more easily, but nothing seemed to be able to mend the pain. Her stomach twisted and turned once again, causing the stomach acid to burn in her throat. Hope moved to her knees and crawled up the stairs towards the bathroom. With some difficulty, she managed to turn on the cold shower and collapsed under it. The cold water hit her heated skin like a bomb in a crowded city – painfully, but as the water soaked through her clothes, it numbed her body and the burning pain slowly faded. Hope sighed in relief and closed her eyes, revelling in the feeling of the cold hitting her and the sound of the water blocking out all the noise from outside.

Minutes or possible hours later, the sound of a particular heart broke through the running water; it was closer than the others and coming nearer. The rhythm of the heart was familiar and Hope tried to block out everything else, as she locked all her senses in on the one sound. As if in a daze, she turned off the shower, dropped her wet and ripped clothes, and draped a towel around her small frame, before descending the stairs, heading for the front door. The painful cramps and burning sensation returned tenfold and Hope could only stumble to the door, where she somehow knew, as if by instinct, she would find relief.

Hope opened the door and found Jackie Williams behind it, her hand up ready to knock. She starred long and baffled at Hope, standing in the door – hair wet and only wearing a small towel barely covering her up. Hope starred back at her, not bothered by the awkwardness of the situation. Williams cleared her throat and started pulling something out of her bag pack.

"Against my good will," Williams said, with a hint of annoyance and displeasure, "Ms. Forbes forced me to deliver notes and homework from today's lesson to you. So here!" Jackie Williams held out a small stack of papers for Hope to take, but Hope merely continued starring at Williams, not attempting to take the papers.

"Here, take the bloody papers so I can go home," Williams said annoyed, "I do have a life besides playing your delivery maid."

Hope crooked her head as a small pain in her teeth returned. Williams suddenly dropped the papers and her eyes widened in shock, starring at Hope.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked sounding slightly afraid. Hope noticed the sound of her heartbeat increasing and smirked, "your eyes, something is wrong with your eyes… they're…"

"Don't worry about it," Hope interrupted smoothly, her voice deep, "I'm just hungry, so incredible hungry, maybe you can help me?" she asked and locked eyes with Williams.

"It won't hurt. Don't fight me." Hope promised and in the next second, with inhuman speed, Hope had pulled Williams in, closed the front door and dug her teeth into the exposed vein on the soft neck. Williams gasped in surprise, but otherwise turned numb in Hope's arms. The blood leaked slowly from the vein as Hope drank hungrily, one mouthful after another. The sensation of the warm blood running down her throat was something Hope had never felt before in her nearly 18 years. It was divine. Her entire body tickled with pleasure. All the pain, the hunger and overwhelming sounds and smells subsided, leaving only absolute peace and contentment.

Hope sighed, feeling completely satisfied as she let go of Williams, letting her drop to the hard floor. She licked her mouth, careful not to let one single drop of blood go to waste. Stepping over Williams, Hope walked up the stairs to her room to fetch some clothes. Rebekah would be home before long and Hope had homework to do.

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**A/N:** 0_0 Okay, so Hope is starting to scare me a little. She honestly acted on her own in this chapter, must be her genes from Klaus shining through :S Oh well, I guess she's her father's daughter after all :P This chapter weren't that long, but I thought this would be a good place to end the chapter, cliff-hangers and all that ;P

So, Hope's powers and heritage is starting before schedule, what do you think will happen? And how do you like her hybrid Klaus side, will she make her father proud? How will Rebekah react to this new development? Oh, all the questions… :P


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: You guys are awesome! Thank you SO much for all your lovely reviews and continued support, I love you guys for it! So here's next chapter for you and a long one too - Enjoy! :)

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The heavy rock blaring in Hope's headphones were suddenly and cruelly, interrupted as one of the headphones was ripped out of her ear. She looked up from the homework, to find her aunt standing above her, arms crossed with an unreadable look on her face.

"What?" Hope said, slightly annoyed for being disturbed in her work. Rebekah rose an eyebrow at her niece.

"You're seriously asking me that?" she said, with a hint of disbelieve. Hope rolled her eyes the way only a teenager could. She turned off her music, knowing that Rebekah wouldn't leave her alone until she got a proper explanation.

"Is she alive?" Hope asked, not really caring about the answer, but felt it would be the proper thing to do. Rebekah saw Hope's indifference and couldn't help a little smile. This was so like Nik and Rebekah had to wonder whether that was a good thing or not.

"Just barely," Rebekah replied, knowing that her answer wouldn't have any impact, "I gave her some blood. Care to explain to me what happened?"

Hope looked up at Rebekah and shrugged.

"I was hungry and she was there," she answered, as if it was obvious. Rebekah pulled a chair and sat down next to her niece, studying her closely.

"You're turning," she concluded concerned, and pushed a lock of brown hair away from Hope's pale face. In doing this, Rebekah noticed the ice-cold skin under her touch.

"Is that what this is?" Hope asked feeling a little vulnerable all of a sudden, "The burning pain, the endless hunger?" Rebekah nodded and gave her a small smile.

"I'm afraid so," she said and rose from the chair, "I'll get you some more blood, wait here for a moment."

Hope nodded and fell back in her chair with a sigh. She was turning. While that explained what was happening to her, it didn't explain why it was happening now. Rebekah had said that it would happen when she came of age and turned 18, but her birthday wasn't for another two weeks. Why was all this happening now? What did it mean? This scared Hope. All the confidence and power she had felt earlier vanished without a trace, and now she just felt painfully scared of what was happening to her. Would the witches be able to find her now? Would they come for her? Hope knew she could do magic, but it was only small and convenient tricks, nothing she could use to defend herself against older and more experienced witches. The vampire gene kicked in, but right now it was more of a curse, that brought pain and uncertainty with it, than a powerful tool. She had no idea how to control it.

Hope took the wooden figure from the desk and moved to her bed, were she curled up in a ball under the duvet. Now, more than ever before, Hope wished her father were with her. Not Rebekah, not her mother – her father. He would know what to do, he would say the right words and wash away all of her insecurities and fear. He would be able to protect her. Tears started falling freely from blue orbs and Hope closed her eyes, digging further under the cover as her heart ached. She held on to the figure for dear life, barely acknowledged Rebekah re-entering her room and the small weight on her bed. Rebekah pulled off the covers a little, so she was able to see her niece. By the sight of the tear-streaked face, Rebekah's face softened and gave a sad smile.

"Here," she said, handing Hope a blood bag, "it'll make you feel a little better."

Hope nodded and sat up in the bed, taking the bag with a grateful smile. She sucked greedily from the bag and sighed relieved as the blood calmed her down. After finishing the blood, she handed the empty bag back to Rebekah and pulled the covers around herself again.

"I'm scared…" Hope admitted, "Why is this happening now? Will the witches be able to find me now?" tears started falling anew as the fear and insecurity overwhelmed her, "I'm not ready!"

"I know sweetie, I know…" Rebekah hushed and pulled the sobbing Hope into an embrace, trying her best to comfort her. As Hope began to calm down and fall into a light sleep, from exhaustion, she called out for the father she had never met and Rebekah knew she had done the right thing earlier.

_"__Come on Nik, pick up the bloody phone!" Rebekah was pacing the kitchen, with a bag of fresh blood in her hand. She glanced at the watch on the wall and counted back hours. It would be around 2 pm in New Orleans by now, so there was no particular reason why her brother couldn't pick up his phone. Receiving voicemail, Rebekah groaned annoyed and dialled her brother's number for the tenth time. _

_"__Pick it up, pick it up!" She chanted, "Your daughter needs you!" Finally, it clicked and the phone got picked up from the other end._

_"__For the love of god sister, take the hint when I'm not picking up the phone the first five times!" Klaus' voice sounded beyond annoyed, but Rebekah didn't care. This was more important than anything her brother could possibly have been doing. _

_"__I don't care if you were having dinner with the bloody president," she said brushing him off, "It's Hope, Nik she's turning." _

_Silence fell in the other end as the words sank in._

_"__What?!" Klaus exclaimed, "How is that possible? Her birthday isn't for another two weeks!"_

_"__I know," Rebekah said, stopping in her pace. She could hear quiet sobs coming from upstairs and knew what Hope must be feeling, "She's crying Nik, she doesn't understand anything or know what to do and neither do I…" she admitted. Rebekah had been doing fine, raising Hope all these years and been a loving mother to her, but now, with all this happening before time, Rebekah felt at loss. _

_"__I'm coming," Klaus said suddenly, bringing Rebekah out of her worries._

_"__What?" She wasn't sure she had heard right. _

_"__I'm taking the first flight heading to London," Klaus evaporated. Rebekah heard shuffled noises and talk in the phone, confirming Klaus' moving around as he spoke._

_"__But Nik, the witches…"_

_"__I promised her, Rebekah," Klaus said in a firm voice, "And I can't bloody well keep that promise from across the ocean now, can I?" _

_Rebekah knew that tone in her brother's voice and knew that it was no use arguing with him, when he'd made up his mind. _

_"__Very well," she said with a sign, "I'll make the arrangements, let me know when you'll be here."_

The next day Hope still wasn't feeling too well and stayed home from school. She hadn't really slept much that night and the little sleep she had, had been dominated by nightmares. Rebekah had stayed with her, holding her close and safe.

It was almost midday, when Rebekah had left Hope in order to find them some food. Hope was still in bed, wearing her pyjamas, completely covered under the duvet and still clutching the small wooden soldier, the only thing that brought her peace by now. She was drifting into a dreamless sleep when she heard her door opening. Thinking it was Rebekah returning with some refreshments, Hope didn't think much of it, until she felt the weight on her bed which were heavier than normal and the voice that called her name gently, was deep and male. She pushed away her covers and sat up in surprise. The person, sitting on her bedside looked to be a man in his mid- twenties. He had short, red-ish and curly hair and blue eyes, that seemed familiar, looked at her with genuine concern. As Hope starred at the man, that odd connection and feeling of familiarity appeared the same way it had done when Hope first talked with her mother and uncle. Hope's eyes widened in surprise as realization struck her. There was no way that it could possibly be…?

"Dad…?" she asked unsure, once again scared that this was a dream and she could wake up any minute. The man smiled at her, a true dimpled smile and nodded.

"I heard you weren't feeling too well, so I…" He began, but was abruptly, interrupted by Hope jumping him with a hug.

"You're really here? It's really you?" Hope asked, pulling a little back so she could see him properly. The man nodded again, a huge grin dominating his pale face. Hope couldn't hold back the tears anymore and gave him another hug. She felt him returning the embrace, holding her closer. They sat like this for several long minutes, none of them feeling the need to say anything but found it enough, to feel each other's presence.

"I am so, so sorry…" Klaus whispered in Hope's ear, "It's all my fault, I should have been with you all this time…"

Hope shocked her head and held onto her father tighter.

"Don't be," she mumbled and sniffed, "As I told mom, I've been happy, living a normal life with Rebekah and I understand why you had to do what you did," Hope pulled a little back and locked eyes with someone, much identical to her own, "I say that, but I really missed you. I believed Rebekah to be my mother, but I never had a father… I missed you…"

Klaus gave her a sad smile and dried her tears with his thumbs. He kissed her head affectionate and took a proper look at her.

"I can't believe you're already turning 18," He said with a small smile, "It feels like yesterday when I…" He sighed and shook his head. Hope crooked her head and looked at her father.

"I guess when you're over 1000 years old and lives forever, 18 years really is just yesterday…" Hope noted and blinked. Klaus laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but still, it's been the longest 18 years in my life," he said and caressed her face gently, "wondering everyday if you were okay, if you were safe and if I was ever going to see you again. And look, my beautiful daughter… All grown up…" The eyes of the old, original hybrid teared up looking at his daughter and Hope couldn't hold back a smile.

"Rebekah once said that we were the strongest creatures in the world and yet we lived without hope," Klaus said and caressed Hope's face gently as his tears ran freely, "And for centuries we did. Cursed and unredeemable, even hated and hunted by our own parents. Then you happened. A true miracle of life. So innocent, so pure – a new beginning. Our Hope…"

Hope drew a long shaking breath and let herself get lost in her father's soothing touch. She had dreamed of this all her life, to be able to see and be near her father like this. Hope had so much she wanted to say, but for now, this was enough. They, literally, had all the time in the world, to catch up on the lost years.

Time seemed to stand still, as the two forgot everything around them. They exchanged stories from their everyday life. Hope about her life with Rebekah, school and friends and Klaus about life in New Orleans, the war and trying to keep the peace. When Hope told her father about what had happened the day before, of how she had accidently bitten Williams, Klaus just laughed.

"It sounds like she deserved it," he said between laughs, "there's really no need for you to feel ashamed love. It's in your nature and ignoring something, which is such a big part of you, will only hurt you,"

"That's the second time someone gives me that advice," Hope pondered, remembering Ms. Forbes words, "My homeroom teacher told me the same thing last week." Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"It that so?" he asked with a grin, "Then you better take it. Sounds wise, that teacher of yours."

"She is," Hope nodded, "and beautiful, no doubt you'd like her. Which reminds me, since mom is with Uncle Elijah, are you or have you ever…?"

Klaus crooked a smile and shook his head.

"Only once, for what feels like a lifetime ago, but it was too complicated," He said regret evident in his voice, "I used to say that love is a vampires greatest weakness, I still believe that. I can't afford that kind of love, I'm not that kind of man and I would only bring danger and pain to the person. I had to send you away for the same reasons love; it's dangerous to be loved by me."

Despite the indifferent way, her father told this, Hope could sense the hurt and loneliness behind the words. For a man, considered a monster, having lived for over a thousand years, to only love once, the girl most have been something special.

"I understand where you're coming from, but that's bull!" Hope said and crossed her arms, "you just need to find a girl who can fend for herself, so you don't have to worry about her being helpless and in danger. Like mom, as a hybrid she's pretty capable, I doubt Elijah worries about her every waking hour and me, I just need to learn how to control all this and I'll be fine, I'm sure of it!"

"Oh, so I 'just' need to find a girl who can fend for herself, eh?" Klaus asked amused by the fact that his own daughter was giving him love advice, as the first thing. He appreciated it though and could see some truth to it.

"By the way," Hope said and bit her lip. Thinking about Ms. Forbes had brought back the musings of her ring. Hope hadn't wanted to tell Rebekah, but she felt she could somehow tell her father anything, this included, "the ring that Rebekah wears, with the blue stone," Hope stopped for a moment and looked at her father, making sure he understood what she was talking about. When he nodded, she continued.

"I haven't told Rebekah this, but I've seen another person wearing one with the same blue stone..."

"Really?" Klaus asked and looked at his daughter with a new interest, "and who might that be?"

"My home room teacher," Hope said without a second thought, "Ms. Forbes..."

"Forbes?" Klaus asked eyes wide in evident surprise. Hope nodded and was about to say something when the door to her room opened.

"Tell me, are you gonna hold up my niece all day or can we finally meet her?" A chipper voice said with a British accent. Two young men walked through the door. Both had features similar to Elijah with dark hair and eyes and just as handsome. Klaus sighed and looked back at them as Hope too looked at them curious.

"Hope, meet your uncles, Kol and Henrik Mikaelson," Klaus said and waved his hand towards them. Hope crawled out of the bed. She walked towards them a little hesitantly. The familiarity was there, but Rebekah had said that these two had been dead, so Hope found it hard to understand how they were here.

"Rebekah told me you two were dead," Hope said and kept a little distant to them, guarded. The two men looked at each other then back at Hope.

"I was killed," one of them said, "by an amateur hunter and his obnoxious sister but thanks to this guy," he patted the other on his shoulder, "when the walls between dead and alive fell apart, he found a way to keep me on this side."

"And I was never really dead," the other guy said with a shrug, "a witch made my family believe I was dead and took me away from them, locking away my memory of them. When she died, I remembered who I really was, but by that time, my family had already scattered across the world..."

"But, you're not a vampire...?" Hope asked the last one. She didn't know how she knew that, but it was like she could feel it, sense it. The moment she had seen her father, she somehow knew that he was a hybrid and that the first guy, who had entered was a vampire, but this last guy wasn't. There was something different about him, like he was...

"Henrik is a warlock," Hope's father said with a smirk, "a very powerful one."

"But you don't look a day over 25," Hope wondered. If this really was a brother of her father, then that meant he too was over a 1000 years old.

"I found a way to stop the aging process," Henrik said and blinked, "I'm not immortal like my siblings, I don't heal like them. I can get killed as easy as any human and I have the scars to prove it."

Hope starred at Henrik in awe. To think someone could live and look young for over a thousand years with the help of magic. Maybe it weren't all bad after all. Magic. Maybe it turned out to be rather handy, after all, what girl didn't dream of looking young forever? If she sold it on concept, Hope would be able to earn millions and spend eternity in luxury, the ultimate payback against Williams or she could use it for good and help people. That would probably depend on her mood at the given time.

"I brought Henrik along when he agreed to teach you about magic," Klaus said and rose from the bed facing his brothers and daughter, "and Kol just invited himself along,"

Hope looked from her father to her uncle Henrik.

"Learn magic?!" she exclaimed and couldn't hide her excitement, "Can you teach me that 'stop ageing' thing? That's brilliant, imagine what I could earn if I found a way to sell it!"

This made the three men laugh and Hope just looked from one to another innocently.

"Easy princess," Henrik said between laughs, "It's not that simple… Immortality and magic is a complicated matter."

"Indeed," Hope's father agreed, "And not without consequences, which is why Henrik will teach you to control and use your magic, learning from both the Mikaelson and Bennett grimores," the hybrid said and lay a hand on Hope's shoulder, "The hybrid life aren't without dangers either, which is why Kol and I will teach you to hunt and fight. If you're coming home with us, you need to be able to defend yourself."

"I'm going to New Orleans with you!?" Hope exclaimed her eyes wide in surprise and an excited smile slowly spreading. Her father nodded, giving her a dimpled smile.

"Yes, that is if you want to, of cause."

Hope shrieked with joy and jumped her father with a hug. She was going to New Orleans, to be with her family. It may not be right now, but it was defiantly happening. Hope knew she ought to feel a little hesitant about going and leaving her life in London behind, but she didn't, not much. She was going home with her father and that was all that mattered right now.

"Take a right here and then it's the end of the road," Hope explained at pointed out the direction. Her father was taking her to school, to have a few minutes quality time with his daughter away from the madhouse that the Notting Hill house had become over the last couple of days with both Henrik and Kol there. Klaus followed Hope's directions and soon they drove into the parking lot of her school.

"So, this is what a modern school looks like these days," Klaus concluded, watching the stream of teenagers walking towards the head-entrance. Hope smiled and glanced at her father as she opened the car.

"Not just any school dad," she said getting ready to go out, "It's a very rich and posh school; hence the hideous and extremely uncomfortable school uniform." Klaus smirked at his daughters comment.

"Indeed. Listen, I'll come to pick you and then we'll have a chat with you homeroom teacher," Klaus said facing his daughter, "I want do this right and I believe if you need to take you child out of school for a couple of weeks, you need to talk to their teachers."

"Why do you need to take me out of school?" Hope asked curiously. Klaus crooked a smile.

"Call it a training camp or hunting trip, but you need to learn the skills." He answered with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Hope's face lit up in excitement at the thought of spending even two weeks with her father and uncles with hunting, fighting and magic.

"Awesome, can't wait!" she said and kissed her father's cheek, "I'll see you later then. Love you!"

* * *

A/N: There, a good long chapter!

Hope finally met her father! (and two of her uncles) what did you think? Is Henrik's story believable? Question: what would you think of a two week trip with three of the original brothers doing nothing but hunt, fight/train and play with magic? ;P

Make sure to let me know, thanks! :D

There's gonna be a little Klaroline in the next chapter, so if you're not a fan - I'm sorry, but I think they belong and deserve each other, so now you've been warned ;)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, so I know I say this a lot, but I truly love you guys! I'm blown away by all your heartwarming reviews! I haven't had this much positive response to a story before, so sorry for being pleasantly surprised and excited about it ;P THANK YOU SO MUCH! This story is slowly evolving by your growing and steady support, so really, it's thanks to you that I'm able to write this :)

And for the obviously disclaimer - I don't own the amazing characters of Klaus, Caroline and the other much loved characters of The originals/vampire diaries. I'd like to think that I partly own Hope, from her personality at least ;P and Henrik, whom I'm still trying to figure out...

And to Sakriah, I'm sorry to hear that you only read this, thinking there was no klaroline, but if you give it a chance and read on, maybe you'll come to like them, maybe just a little? As a writer, I can only hope.

Anywho, without further ado, here's chapter six! Enjoy!

* * *

"Hope!"

Hope smiled at the calls from her two friends and stopped in her tracks to let them catch up to her.

"Hello girls." She said with a big grin.

"Oh no, don't you 'hello girls' us!" Vanessa said and pointed a berating finger at Hope, "just what is going on? It's been three days! You haven't been in school, haven't called or even responded to our calls or texts. When I visited your home yesterday, some strange, although handsome, man opened and told me you where out with your dad? Your dad?!"

Hope made a face and bit her lip. She didn't really blame her friends for their reactions. Hope had totally left them out with everything that had happened.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry, things has been crazy lately," she said and gave them an apologetic look, "but I'll tell you everything, I promise. Everything." Hope had talked to her father about telling her friends about what she and her family was and they had agree that it would be safe to tell them, since Klaus was already there and they were leaving. If they were true friends, they would accept her and if not, Hope would have to compel them in order to make forget everything, including everything about her. She was a little nervous about telling them though. Hope still had difficulity believing it all and she had been living it the last couple of weeks, she doubted her friends would be any different. Then again, both Vanessa and Juliet were very open minded, which was one of the qualities that Hope loved about them, maybe it would be fine. She just had to trust and believe in them and their friendship. For now, Vanessa and Juliet seemed to accept that they would get the full explanation later and group hugged Hope, telling her just how much they'd missed her.

"You girls better hurry it up," a voice behind them made them let go of each other, "you're gonna be late for class. My class even," Ms. Forbes said with a blink in her eyes. The girls grinned at each other and hurried ahead, except Hope.

"Good to have you back, Ms. Jones," Ms. Forbes said with a geniue smile, "you had me worried when you left school in a hurry and didn't come back. Did you get the homework and notes from Ms. Williams? She can't seem to remember having delivered them to you."

Hope smiled to herself. Rebekah had done a good job in compelling Williams it seemed.

"Really?" Hope asked innocently, "sounds weird, but yes I got them, thank you. Oh and by the way, my father is picking me up after school and would like to have a chat with you."

"Your father?" Ms. Forbes asked surprised, "you found him?" Hope smiled and nodded.

"Or more like, he found me."

"Wow, I'm happy for you," Ms. Forbes said genuinely as they entered the classroom, "and I'd love to meet him. Come by my office after school, we'll talk then."

Hope met up with Vanessa and Juliet for lunch. They sat down in an isolated corner of the canteen and Hope looked around making sure there was no preying eyes. When she had made sure that everyone was busy with their own business, Hope leaned in over the table and signalled her friends to do the same, and then she told them everything. From the fact that her family name was Mikaelson and her mother was really her aunt, to the existence of supernatural creatures and Hope's role in it all. When she finished her tale, Hope looked at her friends expectantly, biting her lips nervously. Vanessa and Juliet looked at each other and silence fell over the three girls. Vanessa suddenly broke the silence.

"Oh. My. God!" She screamed and drew the attention of several students around them. Juliet glared at them, making them hastingly turn their attention back to their half-eaten lunch. Hope hushed at Vanessa, pulling her closer.

"Are you crazy?" she asked, slightly panicked, "what part of 'this is a matter of life and death' secret did you not get?"

"But Hope, this is just like 'Love Bite'!" she said with a big grin, trying very hard to hold back her excitement. Hope raised an eyebrow and Juliet just rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Love Bite? Really Nessa?" Hope said in disbelieve, "That super cheesy teen vampire show? How is my life anything like that?"

"Don't you see it?" Vanessa rearranged herself in her seat and leaned closer, "You're Jessica, the vampire girl who falls in love with the human Timothy Ryder Scott, but because she's vampire royalty, it's a love opposed by her family! It's brilliant; don't tell me you don't see it!"

Hope and Juliet exchanged glances, then broke into laughter.

"Really, you watch way too much TV," Hope said in between chuckles, "first off: my family may be some sort of royalty, I mean they are the first and original vampires, but they would hardly mind me dating a human and secondly," she continued as she dried her eyes, "who would be this Timothy then?"

Vanessa grinned mischievously.

"Why Ryder Scott of cause," she said and blinked, "you've been crushing on him for forever and he's recently back on the market. Broke up with the she-devil a.k.a Jackie Williams a few days ago, in a marvellous and very public row. It was worth an Oscar, let me tell you…"

"Oh right…" Hope had totally forgot about Ryder Scott in the emotional turbulence of the last couple of weeks. Now, when she thought about it, she hadn't seen Williams being attached to him, like a Siamese twin, in fact, she hadn't seen Williams at all. Hope praised herself lucky and shrugged it off. She had a really hard time thinking about Scott too. It was true that she had crushed on him for the last couple of years, but being who she was, just another in the crowd of students, Hope hadn't dared thinking it was ever a possibility and now? Now Hope had gained renewed confidence, learning who she really was and as much as that was a good thing, it also brought a lot with it. A lot which would require her full attention, which meant, there was hardly room for a romantic interest, as of now and if that wasn't enough, Hope was moving to New Orleans in near future. There was really no point in starting something with a human boy. Hope shook her head.

"Yeah, that's a chapter over and done with," she said poking at food, "there really is no point in dating a human, when you live forever, I'd rather find me some hot vampire. It's really a shame you can't date your uncles, 'cause damn!"

"It'll take some time getting used to," Juliet said in a low voice and took a bite of her sandwich. Hope and Vanessa looked at her. This was the first time Juliet spoke after the revelation and she wasn't a girl of many words, so the other girls were usually very attentive when she did.

"What will?" Hope asked.

"You talking about being immortal, vampires and all that." Juliet explained. Vanessa nodded in agreement. Hope looked at the two.

"Tell me about it," she said and breathed a long sigh, "I've been living it for the last two weeks or so and I'm still not used to it, but it helped a lot, when my dad came and explained it to me. Several things makes more sense to me now…"

Hope waited by the head entrance after school, for her father. Vanessa and Juliet kept her company while she waited, both a little nervous about meeting the infamous Niklaus Mikaelson. Hope spend the waiting minutes telling her friends stories about her father, that Rebekah had told her. Not all of them were equally pleasant, and Hope couldn't help grinning at their reserved attitudes when Klaus finally showed up. Hope hugged her father and presented her friends to him.

"Hope has told me a lot about the two of you," Klaus said with a smile and held out his hand to greet them properly. With some hesitation, the two girls shook his hand, "thank you for being friends with my daughter and for understanding."

"It's all our pleasure, Mr. Mikaelson," Juliet said in a business like tone, "Hope is a really good friend to us."

Vanessa starred from Juliet to Klaus and couldn't seem to take her eyes of him. Hope laughed and elbowed Vanessa, bringing her back from whatever fantasy she was having about Hopes father.

"So, how was your day?" Klaus asked after they'd parted with Vanessa and Juliet. Hope smiled at her father's attempt to small talk and care about the small things, like a normal parent. She appreciated the small gestures like that.

"Not bad," she answered with a shrug, "I was really nervous about telling Nessa and Julie everything, but it went really well and they were very sweet and excited, which was a little weird, but it was certainly the highlight of the day." Hope finished and gave her father a huge smile.

"I'm glad to hear it love," he said and gave Hope a sideways hug as they continued down the hall, towards Ms. Forbes office.

Hope knocked on the door and opened it.

Ms. Forbes was grading some papers when Hope entered the office and put them away to greet her with her mystery father.

"Ms. Forbes, my dad Niklaus Mikaelson, dad, my teacher Ms..." Hope presented, but was interrupted by her father.

"Caroline..." He said and stopped in his tracks, starring at Ms. Forbes as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Klaus..." Ms. Forbes starred back at Hope's father with an equal amount of surprise.

"Wait," Hope said, and looked from one to the other, "you two know each other? How?"

Klaus smirked and shook his head.

"When Hope told me the name of her teacher, I didn't believe it and yet, here you are..."

Ms. Forbes blinked a few times before she managed to get out of the trance she had fallen into.

"Don't tell me, Hope is your daughter?" She asked, looking between the two. Klaus nodded, his face unreadable.

"Wow, that makes so much sense, that's why you left, isn't it? And I thought back then, that we..." Ms. Forbes shook her head and laughed bitterly, "All the sweet words and promises, boy do I feel stupid... How is that even possible?!"

"You're mad," Klaus said calmly. It wasn't a question, but more like a conclusion. Ms. Forbes glared at him and sat back down with a huff.

"I'm not mad," she said with a tone that contradicted her words, "why would I be? It's not like we..." She stopped mid-sentence and shook her head, as if she didn't even want to finish the thought. Klaus turned to his daughter, whose presence, seemed to have be forgotten.

"Hope, will you leave us alone for a moment?" He asked her, in a tone that indicated, that she didn't really have the choice of refusal.

"No, stay Ms. Jones," Ms. Forbes said immediately, giving Hope a stern look, "Your father and I have nothing to talk about, other than what you came here for."

Hope looked from her teacher to her father, truly feeling torn about what to do. She was beyond curious of how the two knew each other, but from what Hope knew of her father, he was a lot scarier than Ms. Forbes was. If he asked you something, you did it, no questions asked. Hope knew her father would never hurt her, and she could probably get away with more than others could, but the respect Hope had for her father went against doing so.

"Leave. Please." Klaus repeated firmly, ignoring Ms. Forbes glaring daggers at him. Hope couldn't help a little smile at the scene. It seemed like Ms. Forbes were one of those people who weren't scared of Hope's father too, which sparked Hope's curiosity about their relationship and story even further. Hopefully, either her father or Ms. Forbes would tell her, once they were ready, not to mention, had found out themselves. Hope nodded and with a smirk, gracing her lips, she exited the office.

Hope paced the hall outside her homeroom teacher's office as she waited for her father and Ms. Forbes to finish talking. She was trying hard to figure out how they knew each other and what their relationship could be. Ms. Forbes had somewhat seemed hurt, when she found out that Hope was his daughter and Hope's father had been determined to talk with her alone as if he needed to explain something properly, without outside interruption and disturbances. All this indicated that they were more than platonic acquaintances' or at least had been. Hope stopped suddenly in her tracks as a thought hit her. Thinking about it more, Hope laughed and shook her head. There was no way that was possible. There would be one in a million chance for it to happen, like finding a needle in a haystack. There was no way that Ms. Forbes could be Hope's father's 'once love and that he could be Ms. Forbes' 'debatable good' who Hope reminded her of and who Ms. Forbes had hurt by ignoring a big part of herself. There was just no way it were possible, but Ms. Forbes was a vampire, right? She had the ring and was from the States, like her father, so there was a chance of them having met over there, for God know how many years ago. The chance was small, but I was there. Thinking further into this, if Ms. Forbes was a vampire, just how old was she? Years, decades, centuries? She looked pretty young, if you looked close enough, behind all the make up, she could look like someone who wasn't much older than Hope herself. This vampire and staying young forever business was still very confusing and hard to comprehend for Hope. For example, looking at her father, aunt and uncles, who all looked to be in their twenties, but in reality, was over a thousand years old, was hard to believe, until they started telling eyewitness reports from world history and talking about famous people throughout history, as if they knew them personally.

Hope was so lost in thoughts, that she didn't notice the person in front of her before he collided head on with them. She took a few steps back and touched her sore forehead slightly.

"Sorry about that," a deep male voice said, "seems like we both were lost in thoughts." Hope recognized the voice, despite only having heard it a few times before. She looked up and met the handsome face and chocolate brown eyes of Ms. Forbes old friend Stefan Salvatore aka PE teacher and coach. She couldn't help a small smile and blush. Now, there was someone worth dating, during all this mess with herself, family and witches, not like Ryder Scott, formerly known as Hope's high school crush.

"Yeah, sorry…" Hope mumbled and looked down in embarrassment.

"You're Ms. Jones right, Caroline's student?" he asked curious, "why are you still here? School ended 45 minutes ago."

"Eh yes, my father needed to talk with Ms. Forbes," Hope explained, running a hand through her long hair nervously, "I'm waiting for them to finish up."

"Ah, I see," Stefan said and glanced at the closed door for a moment then back at Hope, "Well, I promised Caroline to wait for her, so I guess I'll just wait here with you," he said with a smile and sat down across from the door, leaning against a locker. Hope watched him for a moment, before gathering her courage and sat down next to him. There was a long silence between them, in which Hope stole several side-glances at the handsome teacher. There was something about him. Something, which was different from other guys and yet it was familiar. It was then that Hope suddenly noticed the ring on Mr. Salvatore's finger. A golden band with a huge blue stone, like the ones Rebekah and Ms. Forbes had. Hope's eyes widened in surprise and she starred at Mr. Salvatore in disbelief. Could he possibly be a vampire too? How was it that, all of a sudden vampires was everywhere around Hope? Was he dangerous or could he be trusted?

"You're a vampire?" Hope asked without realizing or meaning to. She covered her mouth and couldn't believe she had said that out loud as Mr. Salvatore looked at her in surprise.

"What makes you say that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Hope relaxed considerably by his relaxed reaction and gained some confidence to continue the conversation and the investigation.

"Your ring," she said and nodded towards his bejewelled finger, "it makes it possible for vampires to walk around in sunlight, without burning up." Mr. Salvatore blinked a few times and smiled.

"You're a girl with some unusual knowledge," he said sounding impressed, "and potential dangerous too." He added and gave her a look. Hope just smirked and shrugged.

"Don't worry my dad's teaching me how to defend myself, among other things, "she said with a secretive grin," oh and I can't be compelled. Which is pretty handy, when dealing with vampires. Besides, if anyone did anything to me, they would have to answer to my dad. Many, who has done so, haven't lived to tell the tale…" Hope made sure to put it all out there, without saying too much, making sure that if Mr. Salvatore was someone who couldn't be trusted, he would know to not mess with her. Hope found it proper to warn the guy, so he wouldn't do anything stupid. It would be a shame to scar his handsome face. Mr. Salvatore grinned and shook his head.

"Wow okay, I got the message," he said with a crooked smile, "do not mess with you. Don't worry kid, I may be a bloodsucker, but I'm one of the good ones, despite how rare we are these days…" He mumbled the last part and Hope couldn't help but wonder what that could mean. Hope understood that vampires was basically evil, her family's history was a pretty good example of it, but the way Mr. Salvatore had said this, sounded like something was amidst. Like something in the general vampire population, however big it was, were changing for the worse. Hope shook the eerie feeling of her, there was no reason to add more uncertainty and worries to her already confusing life, better to let others deal with it. They fell back into a comfortable silence s Hope resumed to watch Mr. Salvatore from the corner of her eyes. Then she remembered that Ms. Forbes had said that they were old friends, from the same town in the States and adding up all these facts, Hope concluded that Ms. Forbes was indeed a vampire. It was the only explanation. Then another thought occurred to her.

"So you and Ms. Forbes are old friends from the same town, right?" Hope asked feeling just a little excited. She loved these small mysteries and solving them even more. Mr. Salvatore looked back at Hope and nodded.

"Then, since apparently Ms. Forbes knows my dad, maybe you do too?"

"Caroline knows your father?" he asked, his face slightly surprised. Hope nodded.

"I don't know how or exactly what their relationship is," she said, "but maybe you're able to shed some light on that?"

Mr. Salvatore looked at Hope for a moment, as if he was trying to figure something out. Whatever it was, he seemed to figure it out and accept Hope's question.

"Sure, I'll try and help if I can. Who's your father?"

Hope about to answer, when the door to Ms. Forbes office opened and Hopes father stepped out, closely followed by Ms. Forbes. Both of them looking somewhat dishevelled as they corrected clothes and straightened hair.

_Klaus watched his daughter leave with a smirk gracing her lips and he knew she would wreck her mind trying to figure out what was going on between him and Caroline. Klaus didn't blame her, he too would like to figure out what this thing between them was and more importantly what it meant. If there still was something, after almost twenty years apart, with no contact at all. He turned his attention back to Caroline, who had resumed to grading papers, trying her very best to ignore him. Klaus crooked a smile, when he saw the light blush in Caroline's cheeks, indicating that she was very much aware of his presence and what it made her feel. He walked around the desk and stood next to her, leaning against the table, arms and legs crossed as he watched her silently. Seconds, minutes passed like this, until Caroline finally seemed to have had enough and threw down her pen with an annoyed groan. _

_"What?!" She exclaimed and glared up at the hybrid. Klaus smirked at her annoyed and blushed face. _

_"You haven't changed at all," he said and couldn't hide his amusement. Caroline was still as feisty and temperamental as he remembered her, one of the things that he liked about her. _

_"__You have," she said looking away, "you're a dad? How is that even possible? And why didn't you tell me? Hope is turning 18, which means that you knew. You knew about her when we…" Caroline shook her head and started to clean up the papers on her desk, "I wish you'd told me. Then I wouldn't…"_

_"__What?" Klaus asked with a raised brow, "You'd accepted me if you knew? Would you have come with me in New Orleans? Would it have made a difference? Because for any other reaction, I wouldn't have told you. I didn't tell you," he continued and faced her completely, "because I knew you would react like this." _

_"__Like what?_

_"__Like this," Klaus said and pointed between the two, "making assumptions and drawing conclusions about things you know nothing about!" _

_"__Oh, so I'm making assumptions now, am I?!" Caroline shot back and rose from her chair, standing face to face with Klaus, "so I'm just "assuming" that all the while you were sweet talking and making promises of eternal love, you were knocking around with some other woman and by some big miracle managed to make her pregnant!" Klaus could hear the blood rush at max speed through Caroline's veins and see angry, red spots decorating her face. There was no doubt she was upset, Klaus just had a hard time figuring out for what reason._

_"__New flash, Mr. Mikaelson," Caroline continued her ramble, "that is not something you do, if you really want a girl to like you!" _

_Klaus felt anger and frustration rise in him, in a way only Caroline could cause. He clenched his fits and took a few steps closer to the blond vampire._

_"__What do I have to do then, mh?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice, "I did everything, I have done everything! I was never serious with Hayley, even now, she's just like family, so don't go assuming you know anything. You wanted me out of your life, so I left. I took responsibility of my actions. I did everything I was told! What more do you want?!" Klaus breathed hard as he stood mere inches from Caroline. He could feel her breath on his lips as their eyes locked. _

_They stood like that for what felt like hours; searching and exploring for answers, like they had done so many times in the past, it seemed to be the only way they could be truly honest, without going for each other's throats. No matter how dysfunctional, none of them could deny that there was something there. _

_Caroline had run from it, for almost 20 years and she had regretted it every day. Again and again she had dreamt and imagined of how things could have been, had she made a different choice, that day in the woods. What would her life look like? Would she be happy? For some reason, Caroline was given the choice again, would she choose differently this time or would she run again._

_Klaus had made sure to keep himself busy with work, loose women and liquor, so he wouldn't have had time to think and dwell on the hole of loneliness and heartbreak that slowly consumed him. Now, faced with it all, after so long of keeping it at bay, all the anger and frustration returned tenfold. _

_Caroline took a deep breath and closed her eyes._

_"__Nothing's changed…" she said and met Klaus' eyes again, "I had plans. Plans of finishing college, educating myself, see the world; live a normal human life - plans that didn't involve you," she repeated the things she'd mentioned back then and paused. Caroline saw the beginning of disappointment in the blue orbs as Klaus slowly pulled away. _

_"__I did them all…" she then added with a shy smile, "the plans that didn't involve you, I completed them."_

_Klaus starred at Caroline wide eyed, not really believing what he was hearing, if he had understood her words right. The soft, gentle lips that touched his seconds later, confirmed his assumptions and Klaus couldn't help a smile as he responded to the kiss, deepening it..._

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A/N: ... and they walked out the office later, correcting their clothes and straightening their hair, wonder how that kiss turned out... Gotta leave a little for your imagination ;P

Okay, so this chapter turned out to be really, really long. This story is seriously writing itself! :)

So, finally meeting between Klaus and Caroline, what did you think about that? How do you think Klaus and Stefan will react when they see each other?

Stefan had a longer appearance and he will be more present in the story as we go on, like Caroline. But just what are the two of them doing in London and what's up with Stefan's cryptic words of good and bad vampires?

What is Caroline and Stefan not telling us and will Hope be able to ignore her eerie feeling forever?

Stay tuned and keep an eye for the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hello my amazing readers! Thanks for all your reviews and continued support for this story! You're truly awesome!

Now, I have a little, but very important request to you. I have been reading and watching a few Bonnie and Kol (Konnie or Kennet) related stuff lately and actually find them rather cute and I can see why people would ship them. Since I adore Kol and he's already a part of this story, I wanna give him a treat, so I have this idea, involving Bonnie and a three/four year old boy. Actually an entire story to go with it, which I may or may not write, depending on how this idea is received. So let me know what you think of giving Kol a little something in this story and adding a few spices to the storyline! Thanks!

I still don't own TVD or TO characters and now on with the story!

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Hope's father stopped midway buttoning his shirt when his eyes fell on Mr. Salvatore in the hall. Mr. Salvatore too looked surprised at Klaus' presence. He looked from Klaus to Hope and back a few times.

"Wait, you're Nik's daughter?" Mr. Salvatore asked eyes wide in surprise. Hope nodded and couldn't help a small smile, so Mr. Salvatore did know her father and things just got even more interesting. Hope was still learning about her father and family, maybe Mr. Salvatore and Ms, Forbes had some new interesting stories to tell.

"Stefan, I was wondering if you were nearby," Klaus said with a smirk, straightening his shirt, "Why didn't you tell me you were in London?"

"It's pretty new," Mr. Salvatore said with a shrug. "We've only been here for a couple of months, following a lead…"

Klaus nodded

"Come by later and tell me," he said with a sense of authority.

Both Caroline and Hope looked back and forth between the two men, somewhat confused by their familiarity and Hope even more so about what they were talking about.

_Stefan felt the phone vibrate in his back pocket. Picking up the phone, he saw the caller and decided to take the call elsewhere, leaving Matt, Bonnie and Jeremy in the living room. Elena was still with the dying Katherine and both Damon and Caroline were still out. _

_"__Klaus," Stefan said accepting the call and closing the door, "What an unpleasant surprise, to what do I owe the honour?" _

_"__Stefan, old friend, good to know I've been missed," Klaus said with his usual chipper accented voice, "Listen mate, I need you to do something for me."_

_Stefan laughed and shook his head; he couldn't believe he was hearing this._

_"This again?" he asked annoyed and just about ready to hang up on the hybrid, "If I remember correctly, we already finished this." _

_"Indeed," Klaus confirmed, "but I think you will accept this. You see, I heard about Katerina's impending demise and thought I'd pay a visit. I had a rather pleasant run in with Caroline this afternoon," he continued and Stefan could literally hear Klaus' satisfied smirk, "and I gave her a promise. I won't ever return to Mystic Falls, and so, I need you to look after her, keep her safe for me..." _

_Stefan stopped his pacing in the middle of the room. He was surprised by the hybrid's selfless request. Caroline was one of his best friends and looking out for her, was a natural thing to do, even without the original demanding it. Stefan had known about Klaus' affection for Caroline, it was pretty hard not to and Stefan, along with the others had taken advantage of it several times. Still, this surprised him though. Even after all was said and done, it seemed like the hybrid dick still cared. Stefan nodded, then remembered that Klaus' couldn't see him._

_"Fine," he finally said accepting Klaus' request, "I'll look out for Caroline, but not for you. I'm doing it for her." _

_"Thanks mate," Klaus said sincerely. With a few more exchanged words and an agreement of keeping each other posted, about what was happening, they both hung up. Stefan went back down stairs to find Caroline had returned from her outing _

Later, that evening, Juliet and Hope laughed if something Vanessa had said. The three friends were on their way home from a visit to the cinema. Vanessa had convinced them to see the latest 'Love Bite' movie with her. The sixth in the movie series. Personally, Hope wondered how it could still attract a full audience after so many movies. She thought the movies dumb before, but now that she actually lived the supernatural vampire life herself, it was even worse. It was so out of place and so unrealistic that it almost hurt and Hope couldn't help being a little embarrassed for the writers and actors behind the movie. But to look at the bright side, she'd had some much needed quality time with her friends and a three hour long and good laugh, which made all the horrible scenes, acting and storytelling worth it.

"Hope Jones?" an unfamiliar voice suddenly asked behind them, as they crossed an alley, "or should I say Hope Mikaelson?" Hop stopped in her tracks, frozen. Her friends stopped too, looking back at her confused.

"You're okay?" Juliet asked, "Something wrong?" Hope looked from one friend to the other.

"You didn't hear...?" Juliet and Vanessa looked at each other, and then back at Hope, concern slowly growing across their faces.

"They can't hear us," the voice said. It was deep male and gave Hope cold chills, "only a vampire would be able to hear us... For now."

Hope turned and looked around trying to locate the stranger, but there was no one in sight. Hope stretched out her senses and heard several heartbeats pounding with excitement.

"Come out and face me, you cowards!" Hope shouted annoyed as her blood fastened and adrenaline shot through her, "I know you're there!"

Multiple menacing laughter spread throughout the empty streets, followed by a dozen grown men and women appearing from the alleys.

"Feisty, aren't you, little Ms. Mikaelson?" It was the same voice as before, but this time Hope got a look at her bully. He was tall and dark skinned. His eyes were blood red and shinning, visible veins surrounded them. White fangs glinted in the light from the street lamps. Hope didn't doubt who these people were for a minute, or what their intentions were. The man, who had spoken weren't the only one with eyes and fangs like that, but there were others and some of the eyes shone a dark yellow. In the group were not only vampires, but werewolves too and not just any ordinary werewolves. Hope positioned herself. She hadn't been on the training trip with her father and uncles yet, but she had learned a little and with that in mind, Hope got ready.

"If you know who I am," Hope said, ready to use any mean possible, even pull the dad-card, "then you know you won't get away with this. You won't make it through the night."

Had the situation been any different and had Vanessa and Juliet not been there, thing would properly have been different, easier, but as it was, Hope had to think about her friends safety first and couldn't act reckless, not even for a moment. Hope lifted her hand towards the threatening people in order to demonstrate what her uncle Henrik had thought Hope so far.

When nothing happened, the vampires and wolves broke into a laughter again.

"What's wrong little witch?" the dark man, who seemed to be e groups leader asked amused, "your magic doesn't work?"

Hope withdrew her hands and starred at them confused. What was wrong? She was pretty sure, she just cast a spell that would have thrown them back several meters and into the stone walls behind them. The dark man held up his hand and wiggled his fingers. Only now, saw Hope the ring with a green stone decorating it.

"We have a little magic of our own," he explained with a gleeful smirk, "this ring allows us vampires to walk in daylight and protects us from your little magic tricks."

Hope's eyes widened. This was unexpected and bad. She looked back at her friends. They couldn't get involved in this. Hope couldn't die, and would somehow get through this, but her friend wouldn't be as fortunate. She tried to signal them to leave, but a few vampires noticed this and cut off their escape route, graphing them from behind and holding them in a firm grip with no mean of escape.

"No!" Hope shouted and made attempt to aid them, but were graphed by two pair of strong arms, holding her back. Hope tried everything to break free from her captors, but soon realized that is was to no avail.

"I see you have inherited your family's insufferable tendency, to care and be loyal to those close to you," a female voice said. Hope turned her head to the larger group and saw a slender woman, with long, black hair and yellow eyes step forward next to the dark man, "I met your father a couple of decades ago, back then he had it all figured out and he was quite the legend, but then he grew a conscious." The woman pouted and then smirked. At first sight, she looked young, but she had an air around her that indicated that she was at least in her late 30's, first 40's. She wore tight black leather and several inches high heels.

"Whatever you want," Hope said between gritted teeth, still trying to wrestle herself free, "it got nothing to do with my friends, so let them go!"

"Au contraire, little Mikaelson," the female werewolf said and walked slowly towards Hope, "it has everything to do with them, because of you. Let me give you a little lesson in how to deal with the original siblings, one on one: you take the people they care about and use them as leverage. Hence we need you, to get to your father and we need your friends, to get you and so, if you don't want anything to happen to your dear friends, you be a good girl and do as we say."

"How about you stop bullying kids and fight someone you own age," another voice broke through the night. This one, female and very familiar. The female werewolf groaned annoyed and turned on her spot.

"Caroline Forbes, why must you always ruin my fun," she said and signed some werewolves to hide away in the shadows. There was a whoosh in the air and the next moment, the two vampires holding Vanessa and Juliet collapsed on the ground, lifeless. Behind them stood Ms. Forbes with a bloody heart in each hand. She smirked and dropped the hearts before standing in front of the two girls, shielding them.

"Sorry Claire, but playtime's over," Ms. Forbes said, her eyes shining a dangerous red, "since when were you lot stupid enough to mess with the Mikaelsons?"

"It doesn't concern you," the werewolf woman, called Claire growled, her yellow eyes turning darker, "you're just an ignorant, lowly hunter and have been so for the last decade. You should stay out of this; this is bigger than you and your hunting buddy."

"I wish it was so, but for some reason," Ms. Forbes said and walked closer to Claire, "everything concerning the Mikaelsons and especially Hope, concerns me."

"Oh? I sense a new development?" Claire said with fake curiosity, "Since when and why did you get all chummy with the originals?"

"Not really," Ms. Forbes replied with a superior smirk and stopped inches from Claire, "You're getting old. I spot several grey hairs, despite your failed attempts to cover it up. Aren't you getting a little too old for this playing tag Claire?"

Claire gritted her teeth and glared at Ms. Forbes, who seemed to have touched a soft spot. Hope guessed that age, would be any vain woman's worst enemy. If you were like that, running with vampires must be hard, being reminded constantly of one's mortality.

"Don't play coy with me, Caroline," Claire snapped, "You'll regret it one day..."

"Is that so?" Caroline asked, crooking her head and gave Claire an indifferent look, "look, I'm in really bad mood and need to let off some steam, so can we get on with this?" She took a few steps back and opened her arms, signalling Claire and her comrades to come at her. A deep sound, much like a growl escaped Claire and seconds later she and the rest of the offenders, except the two holding Hope, attacked Ms. Forbes in a blurry mess. Hope screamed, scared for her teacher and forced her eyes shot; not wanting to see what seemed unavoidable.

Hope heard the groans, screams, gaging, whooshing, and blood splashing, bones cracking and heavy thumbs of bodies falling to the ground. Hope felt like she ought to help Ms. Forbes, but she felt glued on the spot, even if she had been able to wrestle free from the two vampires holding her, she wouldn't have been able to move. Hope felt so helpless, and she hated it. She closed her eyes harder, wishing, hoping this was all just a bad dream, from which the persistent alarm clock would wake her up, any minute now. Her father's sleepy groan, from the camp bed they'd put up in her room. Quality time over an early breakfast with her foster mother, before heading to school for another regular day. Her friends greeting her with smiles and hugs. Hope prayed to whatever god was out there, that her friends was safe and that they would remain so.

Suddenly the grips on her disappeared, followed by the sound of running feet.

"You cowards!" A voice, Hope recognised as Claire shouted. It sounded strained and angry.

Hope opened her eyes slowly, hesitant and was met with a sight, which could easily had been taken out of the most recent horror movie. Blood coloured the stone pavement dark red. Mangled bodies scattered around. Pale, grey faces all twisted and forever set in fear and pain. Hope scanned the scene, found Vanessa and Juliet standing only a few feet away, holding on to each other and pure confusion, and fear evident in their expressions. Hope walked up to them and pulled both of them into a hug, which both of her friends returned. There was no words to be spoken, only a need for reassurement that they were all three there and alive. Hope heard a silent sob and couldn't tell if it was coming from Vanessa, Juliet or both of them and at this moment it didn't matter, as she tightened the hug, pulling them closer. She couldn't imagine how they must be feeling, how scared they must be. Hope had been scared to a point where she had been unable to move and that was after living a couple of weeks in this world, with drinking blood from bags and hearing several horrifying and yet captivating stories. To Vanessa and Juliet, this dark part of the world, was still so unknown to them. Hope didn't blame them if they were scared out their wits or more like, she expected them to be so.

"Who are you working for?!" Ms. Forbes' angry shout resounded in the quiet street, "what are you planning!?"

Hope looked up from Vanessa and Juliet's embraces and saw Ms. Forbes pushing Claire against the nearest wall violently with brute force. Hope could hear a small groan and gasp escaping Claire, as Ms. Forbes' grip around her neck tightened. She let go of her friends and walked closer to her homeroom teacher, curious as to what was going on between the two supernatural women.

For a long moment, the vampire and werewolf just glared at each other, then Claire suddenly began to laugh or rather, she let out small breaths of air, which supposedly was laughs, if the mocking glint in her eyes was anything to go by.

"As mentioned before," Claire said amused in between deep breaths, "you're way in over your little vampire head in this Caroline, you should do yourself a favour and get out of it while you can. Our Master is not someone you want mess with."

Ms. Forbes crocked her head and smirked, not taking her eyes off of Claire.

"Your concern for my wellbeing is touching, Claire," Ms. Forbes said sweetly, "but I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself, so who is this 'Master' of yours?"

Claire's face turned serious as she stubbornly locked glaring eyes with Ms. Forbes. She gritted her teeth, but didn't answer the question. Ms. Forbes looked down, sighed only to graph one of Claire's hands, and broke it. The sickening sound of bone cracking followed by Claire's agonizing scream made Hope shiver and stop in her tracks.

"The average person has over 200 bones in their body," Ms. Forbes whispered, leaning close to Claire, "and I'm in no hurry, I can do this all night. Over," Another cracking sound was followed by a deep and painful scream when Ms. Forbes broke another one of the wolf's bones, "and over again. Since you're a wolf, I'm guessing you're familiar with the pain of bone cracking," she said threatening and cracked another bone, earning a loud groan from Claire, "but I'll make sure this is going to be permanent…" Ms. Forbes' voice was deadly as she looked at her foe. No matter how morbid this scene was, Hope couldn't help but be just a little impressed. Sure, torturing people was so wrong in so many ways, but Hope guessed Claire deserved it and Ms. Forbes seemed to think she held some important information. Hope herself was a little curious as to what a group of vampires and werewolves wanted with her father. Could it be people from New Orleans? Could they be working for witches? From what hope had gathered; her family and especially her father had tons of enemies, so it could really be just about anyone, this 'Master'.

Hope continued to watch Ms. Forbes, as she tried to interrogate and breaking Claire, and she couldn't help a grin. Taking into account, what had happened earlier, how Ms. Forbes, singlehandedly had fought a dozen vampires and werewolves and got out of it without a scratch or even a little out of breath, there was no doubt this woman was able to fend for herself. Just the kind of woman Hope's father needed. Thinking into this further, Hope bit her lip. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms last time. Ms. Forbes had seemed pretty pissed that Hope's father and Mr. Salvatore had been talking and planning, behind her back. Something Hope, as a fellow female could understand. This, however, made things a bit more complicated. Not that their relationship ever hadn't been complicated, at least not from the stories Hope had heard.

"What do you mean a new and stronger race of vampires?" Ms. Forbes' question brought Hope out of matchmaking thoughts and caught her attention immediately. Could this have something to do with the rings that had protected the group from her magic? Claire gave Ms. Forbes a smug look.

"I mean one pure race, from one powerful bloodline," Claire explained with a gleeful smirk, "and the other bloodlines dead, every single one of them, from beginning to end… When you think of it, it's really easy, ridding the world of dirty vampires like yourself. All you have to do is kill the beginning, the origin of the bloodline and thousands, millions will follow. My Master happens to be able to do exactly that…"

Hope didn't understand Claire's words. How was someone able to kill her father and his siblings, the most powerful creatures to walk the earth, because that was whom she had meant, right? Rebekah had explained the whole bloodline concept to Hope and in that way everyone was connected somehow, through the one who had turned them, leading all the way back to one of the original siblings. Ms. Forbes seemed to understand, as she let go of Claire and took a few steps back, her face in disbelieve.

"No, that would mean…" Ms. Forbes mumbled, sounding worried.

"Exactly," Claire nodded with a smirk and corrected her clothes, pushing herself away from the wall, "So you do know what you're up against, what it means, don't you?" Ms. Forbes locked eyes with Claire and for a long moment, none of them said anything.

"You tell your Master, that no matter what he's planning, he won't succeed," Ms. Forbes then said, her voice low and determined, "because _he's _not alone, not like last time, none of them are. We will fight alongside them, for them – to the end."

Claire held up her hands in impressed surrender, but couldn't seem to hide a crooked grin as she saw Ms. Forbes determination.

"Well, it's been fun playing tag with you, this past decade Caroline," she said and started to walk away, "but I'm afraid it's gonna end for you all very soon…"

Hope watched Ms. Forbes as she watched Claire walk away and disappear into the night. She didn't like the conclusion of the conversation and from the look on Ms. Forbes face, neither did she. The eerie feeling Hope had, when Mr. Salvatore had mentioned the different vampires, returned. Something was defiantly amidst. Hope just wished she knew what it was, so she could prepare for it. From the worry lines in Ms. Forbes face, she knew exactly what was going on and Hope walked up to her slowly.

"What's going on?" she asked, "and who's the Master?" Ms. Forbes looked down at Hope and gave her a smile, which failed to reach her eyes.

"Nothing," she replied and put a reassuring hand on Hope's shoulder, "he's no one. Now, let's get you girls home, I'm sure your families must be getting worried."

The drive home was long and silent. Ms. Forbes made sure to compel both Vanessa and Juliet, before dropping them off at their house, for which Hope was grateful. Her friends would be so much better off without remembering what had happened that night. They only remembered walking home after the movie, and being a little lazy about it, so they came home later than normal.

Hopes father opened the door before either Hope or Ms. Forbes could get to it. He was about to say something, but Ms. Forbes interrupted him.

"This," she said and pointed between her, Klaus and Hope, "doesn't mean that you're forgiven, but something more important than your dishonesty and backstabbing came up and we need to talk, so call everyone here."

Klaus nodded solemnly and stepped aside, allowing Hope and Ms. Forbes to enter the house. Klaus told his daughter to go up to her room, before turning to Caroline.

"Caroline," Klaus said, a hint of plea in his voice as he graphed MS. Forbes wrist, stopping her in the hall. She sighed and send him exasperated glance.

"Klaus don't," she said and gently removed his hand from her wrist, "it was a spur of the moment thing, nothing more, so please don't…"

Hope bit her lip, as she rose from her sitting position on the stairs. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why couldn't everyone just be happy and get over whatever complications kept them apart. Everything seemed to have escalated. There was so many questions, which Hope needed answers to, but she knew the people gathering in the rooms below her would never answer them directly. Hope sprinted to her room and closing the door, she sat down on the floor, opening her senses just in time to hear Rebekah greet Mr. Salvatore in the door.

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**A/N:** Oh… things are tensing up, huh? Who do you think this 'Master' is? And just what is this deal with the 'pure bloodline'?

Someone pointed out to me that last chapters Klaroline was a little quick and too easy and I agree, so I made it a little harder, making Caroline genuinely upset and angry with Klaus for holding things and relations a secret to her, I hope it worked :S

Uh, remember to let me know about the Konnie idea! I really wanna hear your opinion about adding a little of it to the story!


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